“Cole Hocker said not today” ; “BEAST!” - Fans react as the American holds off Yared Nuguse in a close finish to clinch 1500m gold at Olympic Trials

On the fourth day of action at the U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials, fans were treated to the race of a lifetime when Cole Hocker held off Yared Nuguse in an incredible 1500m battle to clinch gold. The American clocked a 3.30.59 for the win, finishing less than half a second ahead of his compatriot.

Going into the 1500m finals in Eugene, the race promised to be a thriller, with the line-up consisting of 2024 World Indoor Championships silver-medalists Hocker and Nuguse, 2024 World Indoor Champion Hobbs Kessler, 2022 national champion in the mile Vincent Ciattei, 2023 1500m NCAA champion Nathan Green, amongst others.

Competing in this packed field, Cole Hocker surged from fourth to first with just 250 meters of the race remaining, clocking the field's fastest final lap. The effort proved enough to give him gold, and fans were left amazed at the 23-year-old’s efforts, with one writing on X (formerly Twitter),

“Hocker said not today.”

Another fan heaped praise on the sprinter as well as second and third-place finishers Yared Nuguse and Hobbs Kessler, writing,

“BEAST. USA has some dawgs in the 1500. Can’t wait to watch them in Paris 🇺🇸.”

Here is how other fans reacted to Cole Hocker holding off Yared Nuguse to win the 1500m U.S Olympic Trials:

“Such a great final push for Hocker!! 1500 never disappoints!” one wrote.

“The last lap of the mile (or 1500) is the most exciting minute in sports. This did not disappoint,” another added.

“US has 2 medal threats in the 1,500,” one X user commented.

“What a race! Did not disappoint 🔥,” yet another fan expressed.

Cole Hocker on winning the 1500m U.S Olympic Trials title

For Cole Hocker, this win comes in a packed field that saw one of the fastest 1500m races in U.S Olympic Trials history. His time of 3:30.59 makes him the third-fastest man of 2024 and gives him a new personal best. The time was also good enough to beat the previous meet record of 3.34.09 set by Matthew Centrowitz in 2016.

Astonishingly enough, eight of the twelve 1500m finalists were under this meet record mark. Additionally, all top six finishers were fast enough to qualify for the Olympics, with Hocker, Nuguse, and Kessler making the team after their top three finish.

Speaking on crossing the finish line first, Hocker termed the experience ‘incredible’, telling media after the race,

“I couldn't believe it but I've played that race a thousand times in my head and for it to finally happen like that was incredible. I heard the crowd getting louder and louder and I thought someone must be gaining on me but that just helped me go through the line as hard as I could.”

Discussing his strategy for the race, Hocker explained that the plan was to always stay within the top five and aim for a surge late in the race, saying,

“That kick with 250 to go was the plan all along, it was just a gut feeling. I just knew I never wanted to fall out of that top five, just always be right there. I knew Yared and Hobbs were going to be the ones to watch and I just followed them. I've never been able to excel at that pace before and you could have told me that was a 3:35 race and I would have believed it, so yeah I just went when I felt like it.”

With the 1500m being a widely contested field on the global stage, fans will be curious to see if Cole Hocker can improve on his sixth-place finish from Tokyo come time at the Paris Olympics.