Cole Hocker shocks world with Olympic 1500m gold

American middle and long-distance runner Cole Hocker pulled off one of the greatest upsets at the ongoing 2024 Paris Olympic Games, storming to victory in the men’s 1500m final.

The 23-year-old from Indiana not only defeated pre-race favourites Jakob Ingebrigtsen of Norway and Great Britain’s Josh Kerr but also shattered the Olympic record (OR) in the process.

Hocker clocked a blistering 3:27.65 to claim gold, eclipsing the previous OR of 3:28.32 set by Ingebrigtsen in Tokyo 2020.

The victory marks a stunning turnaround for Hocker, who finished outside the medals (in sixth place) at the Tokyo Games.

“This may be an upset to a lot of people, but if you’ve been following my season, you knew I was capable of it,” he said after the race. “But still, things had to go my way today.”

Hocker’s triumph also ended a drought for the United States, which had not won the Olympic 1500m title since Matt Centrowitz’s victory in Rio de Janeiro in 2016.

The US enjoyed further success in Paris, with Yared Nuguse taking bronze behind Kerr, who claimed silver. It was the first time two Americans had made the 1500m podium since the 1912 Stockholm Games.

The result was a major blow to Ingebrigtsen, who had been a favourite for the gold. The Norwegian could only manage fourth place in a time of 3:28.24.

There was also further surprise as Kenya’s Timothy Cheruiyot, who secured silver at the 2020 Games, slumped down to 11th place with a time of 3:31.35.

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