Strong Finishing Kick Lifts Hocker To Olympic 1500 Title
The Cole Hocker Stats Saw Former Oregon Star Win a Gold Medal and Set An Olympic Record at 1500 Meters
Hocker Becomes The Second Oregon Duck in Eight Years To Win Olympic 1500 Gold Medal
Despite finishing sixth in the 1500 meters in the 2020 Olympics, the Cole Hocker stats had the 23-year-old American as a longshot to win the gold medal in Paris.
Great Britain’s Josh Kerr, the reigning world champion, and Norway’s Jakob Ingebrigsten, the defending 1500-meter Olympic champion, came into the race as the favorites to battle for the gold medal. That was how it played out until a late surge by Hocker provided a stunning result.
The two rivals were accused of being so laser-focused on beating each other in what has become a heated rivalry that they ignored the possibility that Hocker could beat both of them to the finish line.
Hocker not only won the race but set an Olympic record of 3:27.65 as he finished .14 seconds ahead of Kerr. While Ingebrigsten didn’t medal in the 1500 in one of the biggest surprises at the Olympics, it wasn’t a total loss as he did win the 5000 meters.
It was part of an impressive showing by Team USA in track and field. The U.S. had more gold medals (14) than any other country had medals in track and field. There were also 11 silver medals and nine bronze medals. Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone set a world record while winning the women’s 400-meter hurdles.
Hocker Making Some History
Hocker joined some select company by winning the Olympic gold medal at 1500 meters at the 2024 Paris Olympics. He joined Jim Lightbody, Mel Sheppard, and Matthew Centrowitz Jr. as the only Americans to win the gold medal at 1500 meters at the Olympics.
Jim Ryun won the silver medal in the 1500 at the 1968 Olympics. The next time a runner representing the United States won the medal in one of the most glamorous track and field events was Mexican-born and Texas-raised Leonel Manzano as he was a silver medalist in 2012. Four years later, former University of Oregon star Matthew Centrowitz won the gold medal in the 1500.
At the 2020 Olympics, held in 2021 as a result of the global pandemic, Centrowitz failed to qualify for the final, but Hocker did get through by finishing second in his semifinal heat.
Ingebrigtsen took control of the race early as he attempted to separate the contenders from the pretenders. Hocker stayed with the front pack as he moved from fifth to third, and he was in perfect position to win his first Olympic gold medal.
Rather than cut outside to risk being boxed in, Hocker took advantage as the inside lane opened up, and he sprinted past the two gold-medal favorites.
Hocker was being priced by the Olympic odds at +3000 to win the gold medal so those who rolled with the rising star from Indianapolis came away pretty happy.
When looking at the Cole Hocker stats, Hocker finished 2.35 seconds behind Kerr, the bronze medalist.
Hocker was one of three Americans in the 1500-meter final on August 6. His late burst let him overtake Kerr just before the finish line while a fading Ingebrigtsen was passed by American Yared Nuguse.
“Winning gold was my goal this entire year, I wrote that down, and I repeated it to myself even if I didn’t believe it. I knew I was a medal contender, and I knew that if I get it right, it would be a gold medal.” Hocker told the media after winning the gold medal.
He raised his hands in celebration after being the first runner to cross the finish line. Teammate Nuguse came up from behind and threw his arms around his fellow medalist but Hocker was too stunned to even realize what had just happened in front of an electric atmosphere for 80,000 fans inside the Stade de France.
”It was a deafening noise. I’ve never heard that in a stadium before,” Hocker told the media. “I kind of lost feeling in my body and it didn’t feel like the Olympics anymore until it did.”
Strong Showing For Team USA
The emergence of the runners from Kenya and other African nations beginning in 1968 impacted the ability of the U.S. runners to win Olympic medals in the events ranging from the 800 to the 10000.
Since that time, Kenya has won 24 gold medals, 22 silver medals, and 19 bronze medals in those events. Since 1992, Ethiopia has had five gold medals and 12 medals just in the 10000 meters.
Hocker and Nugese got on the podium in the 1500s, and Grant Fisher earned bronze medals in the 5000 and 10000s, which is the most medal for the United States in the middle and long-distance men’s track events since the 1912 Olympics.
It wasn’t the same story on the women’s side as no U.S. woman won a medal at the 800, 1500, 3000 steeplechase, 5000, or the 10000.
How He Got Here
Hocker began to be noticed on the running scene in 2018 when he won the Indiana state cross country title and the Foot Locker Cross Country Championships while finishing second in the Nike Cross Nationals.
A heavily recruited runner, Hocker chose to go to Oregon. The Cole Hocker stats show that he won the mile and 3000 meters at the 2021 NCAA Division I Indoor Track and Field Championships. At the outdoor nationals, he won the 1500 meters.
He turned professional in 2021 and at the 2024 World Indoor Championships, Hocker was a silver medalist at 1500.
He is a two-time winner of the 1500 meters at the Olympic Trials and in 2022 he was the winner at both 1500 and 3000 meters at the USA Indoor Track and Field Championships.
At age 23, Hocker could still be in play to win another Olympic medal in four years.
What’s Next?
The next major international competition will be the 2025 World Athletics Championships from Sept. 13 to 21 in Tokyo.
Kerr and Ingebrigtsen finished first and second in the 1500 meters at the 2023 World Athletics Championships, with Ingebrigtsen winning the 5000 meters.
Noah Lyles (100 and 200), Grant Holloway (110 high hurdles), and Ryan Crouser (shot put) were the only U.S. men to win individual titles at the 2023 meet.
For Olympics betting news, odds analysis, and more, visit Point Spreads Sports Magazine.
