Mo Farah broke the European record on his way to an impressive victory at the Lisbon Half Marathon yesterday.

The double Olympic champion sprinted clear of Kenyan rival Micah Kogo to cross the line in 59 minutes 32 seconds, taking 20 seconds off the mark set by Spain’s Fabian Roncero 14 years ago.

It was the first time a British athlete had run the 13.1 mile distance in under 60 minutes.

Farah, who celebrates his 32nd birthday today, has now set a world record and a European record in his two races so far this year.

His only race of the indoor campaign, in Birmingham last month, resulted in a new world best time over two miles and this latest success on the road suggests he is in the best possible shape ahead of a season in which he will aim to retain his 5,000 and 10,000 metres titles at the World Championships in Beijing in August.

“It feels amazing, I got massive support from the crowd,” Farah said on www.iaaf.org.

“It wasn’t easy, the race organisers put in a great field. To win here was hard, but it’s my birthday tomorrow so it’s a good birthday present.”

Farah finished a second ahead of Kogo after the pair had broken clear from another Kenyan, Stephen Kibet, who had to settle for third in 59:58.