2024 Olympics: Who is Cole Hocker? Meet the Runner Whose Win Has Fans in a Frenzy
In a world where sprinting events are often the fan-favorites, American middle-distance runner Cole Hocker gave them a run for their money at the 2024 Olympics.
After all, the 23-year-old turned the men’s 1,500-meter final on its head when he emerged victorious against heavily favored athletes Josh Kerr and Jakob Ingebrigsten in a final mad dash that earned him the gold medal.
But let’s back up to before the starting line.
Heading into the event, the focus was on Britain’s Kerr and Norway’s Ingebrigsten—the first the 2023 world champion and the latter the defending gold medalist from Tokyo—whose very public rivalry promised the Olympic final to be a bitter battle.
And indeed, after the starting shot sounded, Ingebrigsten quickly took the lead in what was a shockingly fast pace—one that set him on the path to a new world record and forced the other runners to adjust their plans in real time.
As NBC commentator Kara Goucher commented during the broadcast, “I have never seen a race of the 1,500 go off that fast. And everyone knows they have to just go with it.”
Unsurprisingly, Ingebrigtsen and Kerr were quickly at the front of the pack alongside Kenya’s Timothy Cheruiyot and Brian Komen, while Hocker and his Team USA teammates Yaraed Nuguse and Hobbs Kessler trailed just behind them.
But just because Hocker didn’t establish himself at the front of the pack, he wasn’t one to be counted out. “If Cole Hocker can stay in this,” Goucher said after the first lap, “get around his American teammates, he could spoil the fun. His finish is better than everyone else’s, but he needs to get in better position.”
"Winning gold was my goal this entire year," he continued. "I wrote that down, and I repeated it to myself even if I didn't believe it. My performances showed me that I was capable of running 3:27, whatever it took. I knew I was a medal contender, and I knew that if I get it right, it would be a gold medal.”
As Kerr noted, "I got beaten by the better man on the day. That was a heck of a race."
For a round up of the many golds Team USA has brough home so far at this year's Games, keep reading.
"I kind of told myself that I'm in this race too," Hocker said after the event, per ESPN. "If they let me fly under the radar, then so be it. I think that might've just been the best."
Kerr ultimately took the silver medal, while USA’s Nuguse earned bronze.
Ingebrigsten, for his part, fell to the fourth position. "I opened with a 54-second lap," the Norwegian athlete said of his running after the event. "That wasn’t the plan at all. It was at least two seconds too fast. I was thinking about slowing down, but the next lap was almost the same speed. I ruined it for myself by going way too hard.”
But while Hocker’s win may have shocked viewers, the runner himself never doubted his chances.
"It might be an upset to a lot of people,” he noted after the event, “but if you've been following my season, you'd know I'd be capable of it.”
"Winning gold was my goal this entire year," he continued. "I wrote that down, and I repeated it to myself even if I didn't believe it. My performances showed me that I was capable of running 3:27, whatever it took. I knew I was a medal contender, and I knew that if I get it right, it would be a gold medal.”
As Kerr noted, "I got beaten by the better man on the day. That was a heck of a race."
For a round up of the many golds Team USA has brough home so far at this year's Games, keep reading.
Athletics - Women's 200m
Wrestling - Women's Freestyle 68kg
Athletics - Men's 1500m
Women's Surfing
Athletics - Women's Discus
Athletics - Men's 100m
Swimming - Women's 4x100m Medley Relay
Swimming - Men's 1500m Freestyle
Cycling - Women's Road Race
Golf - Men's Individual Stroke Play
Shooting - Men's Skeet
Athletics - Men's Shot Put
Swimming - Women's 800m Freestyle
Swimming - Mixed 4x100m Medley Relay
Gymnastics - Women's Vault
Fencing - Women's Foil Team
Swimming - Women's 200m Breaststroke
Gymnastics - Women's All-Around
Rowing - Men's Four
Swimming - Women's 1500m Freestyle
Gymnastics - Womens' Team
Swimming - Women's 100m Butterfly
Fencing - Women's Foil Individual
Swimming - Men's 4x100m Freestyle Relay
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