Cole Hocker, the new 2024 1500 Olympic Record Setter originally from Indianapolis, was an unexpected shocker in the 2024 Olympics! Hoosier native, Hocker, won a gold medal and broke the Olympic record in the men’s 1500 race, one of the fans’ favorite track and field events according to NBC Olympics.com. He was a dark horse finalist, no one expected him to win, let alone set an Olympic record. However, Cole Hocker won with a 3-second personal record and took the record. He made it look pretty easy too, for someone who was not supposed to win.
Hocker was actually in fifth place when entering the last lap. With only the final lap to go, Hocker did not have a lot of time to catch up, especially when all of your competitors were all running elite athletes. He took the inside lane and overtook his fellow competitors easily and finished with a time of 327. It was Hocker’s big finish that won him the record and the medal. Cole Hocker was the first American to win in the race since 2016 according to Western Mass News’s reporter, Emily Van de Riet. Cole Hocker certainly surprised his competitors with his big win considering most of his competitors counted him out of winning.
Two of Hocker’s competitors, Ingebrigtsen, and Kerr, had a long-standing rivalry that brought in a lot of fans. The rivalry was so popular because there was so much smack-talk happening between the two competitors. Defending champion, Ingebrigsten, was planning on defending his title. Hocker, however, ended up having other plans for the race. When asked about his feelings toward the popularity his two competitors received for the feud Hocker said, “I kind of told myself that I’m in this race too, if they let me fly under the radar, then so be it. I think that might have just been the best.” (NBC Olympics.com) In the end, it was. Hocker finished flying past the two rivals, who were too busy trash-talking with each other to be in the race fully without any distractions.
Hocker’s training over the past year is what really counts. He never counted himself out of being a medal contender. Cole was so dedicated that he treated every workout very seriously as if it were the race itself. He said, “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.”(NBC Olympics.com) In the end, Hocker achieved his goal and is now an Olympic champion. Hocker’s homestretch really paid off and really contributed to his win.
In the end, none of the past races mattered, or what anybody else thought. It all came down to this race and this moment. Hocker did not let his other competitors get in his head about competing or where he was projected to finish. He knew that the only thing that mattered was how he ran this race. He ran his race the way he knew would give him the best chance of winning. The strength that Hocker showed throughout the difficult race really showcased the hard strong dedication it takes to pursue his dreams. Hocker represented Indiana, Cathedral High School, and the USA phenomenally and showcased what it really means to be an Olympic athlete.
