The Brit has been watching Farah's greatest races in preparation for his outdoor World Championship debut.

For George Mills, watching Mo Farah dominate the 5000m at World Championships was more than just a memorable moment, it was a blueprint for success. The 26-year-old has studied Farah's races in detail, analysing his moves and tactics to learn how to handle the complexities of championship racing.

When asked if he remembers watching Farah win his titles, Mills said: "Of course. I've been watching them. I've got a lot of saved 5000m races on my iPad so I've been going through them and doing a lot of homework.

"You can learning anything, not by just watching the race but if you really watch a specific person, how they move through things and how they respond to things. Obviously no race is going to be the same, but you can also have the experience vicariously."

Since breaking Farah's British 5000m record in Oslo earlier this year, running 12:46.59, Mills had contact with the legend himself.

"He sent me a text and then we spoke on the phone briefly which was really nice," said Mills. "He was just very happy. He congratulated me and offered his help if I needed anything in the future. Great bloke."

On September 19 in Tokyo, Mills will carry on the weight of those expectations as he lines up for the men's 5000m heats at the World Championships, with the final on September 21. But the path to this moment has not been without setbacks.

Just six weeks ago, Mills was lying on the track at the London Diamond League with a fractured wrist,  "I was lying on the floor and was like, 'how has this happened again?'" he says.

"Last year in London I was 10 metres into the race and three of us went down, I was the last one to try to jump over Neil [Gourley] and as he was standing up, I went over. This year I wanted to go on the pace and to try and push the race and really challenge myself."

Mills suffered a fractured wrist in several places and was quick to seek treatment, going to A&E immediately after the race and seeing a specialist the next day. The options were clear: leave it in a cast or operate to give the best chance of returning to normal training quickly. They chose surgery.

"It was obviously a bit of a fire in the works, having to go through an operation and change training slightly but I don't think it's affected me too much. It's been difficult at different points but I think we've been able to deal with it well and we are very prepared," said Mills.

He received a last-minute call up to the Zurich Diamond League final in August, running 7:38.71 to finish seventh for his first race back.

Racing both the 1500m and 5000m at the Paris Olympic Games last year, Mills chose to focus solely on the 5000m at these World Championships - a move informed by his Olympic experience.

"We decided at the beginning of the year that we were going to focus on the 5000m at the World Championships," said Mills. "Most of it being because I feel it is my stronger event. My attributes and how we train, the stuff I'm able to do in training is probably more tailored to being successful over the 5000m rather than the 1500m at this time."

Similar to Georgia Hunter-Bell's decision to focus solely on the 800m rather than doubling up with the 1500m, Mills' choice was shaped by the World Championships schedule - and the length of time spent travelling to and from the stadium.

"If the schedule was the other way around, I would have loved to double up. I was obviously very tired when the 5000m came around [in Paris] but that was probably my stronger event last year. I wasn't able to show myself what I can do so that led into the thinking of it. There's lots of people [in Tokyo] who are doubling before. They are going to have to carry that load from the 10,000m or the 1500m whereas I can now come into the 5000m fresh."

He approaches Tokyo with a clear tactical mindset, knowing that even qualifying from the heats will be no easy task in a field this deep. Mills and his coaching team have prepared for every possible scenario - and hours spent watching Farah's championship races may offer the final piece of insight he needs.

Training in Switzerland as part of the On team under coach Thomas Dreißigacker, Mills acknowledged the progress they've made together has already surpassed expectations. But the hard work continues, with the ultimate aim to peak in Tokyo and claim a medal.

"At the end of the day the whole year has been geared towards being my best in Tokyo and that's what we're trying to do."

Mills will race in the 5000m heats on September 19 at 12pm BST.