Cole Hocker

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Cole Hocker
Hocker at the Husky Invite in 2020
Personal information
Born (2001-06-06) June 6, 2001 (age 22)
Indianapolis , Indiana
EducationCathedral High School
University of Oregon
Sport
CountryUnited States
SportTrack and field
Event(s)800 m, 1500 m, mile, 3000 m, 5000 m
College teamOregon Ducks
TeamNike
Turned pro2021
Coached byBen Thomas
Achievements and titles
Olympic finals
  • 2020 Tokyo
  • 1500 m, 6th
Personal bests
Medal record
Men's track and field
Representing the  United States
World Indoor Championships
Silver medal – second place 2024 Glasgow 1500 m

Cole Hocker (born June 6, 2001) is an American middle and long-distance runner. He holds multiple national titles in annual competitions organized by USA Track & Field, including three titles in the 1500 meters and one title in the 3000 meters. In March 2024, he won a silver medal in the 1500 m at the 2024 World Athletics Indoor Championships in Glasgow. Hocker also placed sixth in the 1500 m at the 2020 Summer Games in Tokyo and seventh at the 2023 World Championships in Budapest.

In high school, Hocker secured victories in several high-level competitions, including the Foot Locker Cross Country Championships in 2018. Beginning in 2019, he competed collegiately for the University of Oregon, where he won four NCAA titles.[2] Hocker announced in 2021 that he would forgo his remaining NCAA eligibility to run professionally, signing to run under Nike.[3]

Background and youth sports

Hocker grew up in Indianapolis, Indiana and began running competitively at a young age, recording a time of 4:36 in the mile as an eighth grader.[4] He attended Cathedral High School, where he won multiple state- and national-level races. He was second in the 2017 IHSAA Cross Country State Finals & won in '18. He finished second at the 2018 Nike Cross Nationals, and he won the 2018 Foot Locker Cross Country Championships.[5] For college, he chose the University of Oregon over offers from many other schools, including Northern Arizona University and Indiana University.[6]

Collegiate competition

Hocker (right) competes for the Oregon Ducks in 2020.

Hocker ran for the Oregon Ducks from 2019 to 2021. At the 2021 NCAA Division I Indoor Track and Field Championships, he won the mile in 3:53.71 and the 3000 metres in 7:46.15.[7] Earlier that year, he ran a personal best of 3:50.55 in the mile on February 12, 2021, finishing in a close second to teammate Cooper Teare at a meet at the Randal Tyson Track Center. The two set the seventh and eighth all-time fastest performances for the indoor mile.

At the 2021 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships, he won the 1500 metres in a time of 3:35.35, outkicking NCAA record holder Yared Nuguse. He also finished 4th in the 5000 metres in a time of 13:18.95.[8] At the 2020 United States Olympic Trials, Hocker won the 1500 m final ahead of Matthew Centrowitz and Yared Nuguse. Hocker did not have the Olympic qualifying time, however he qualified for the games based on his world ranking position.[9]

At the 2020 Olympic Games, Hocker placed 6th in the 1500 metre event with a time of 3:31.40, setting a new personal best. His time was under the Olympic Record set 2 days prior in the semifinals by Abel Kipsang of Kenya. Hocker qualified for the semifinals by running 3:36.16 for 4th in his heat. Hocker then ran 3:33.87, his then personal best, for 2nd in his semifinal to qualify for the final.[10]

Senior competition

2021

On September 13, 2021, Hocker announced his decision to turn professional, forgoing his further participation on the University of Oregon team.[11] Hocker became a Nike-sponsored athlete, and continues to be based in Oregon training under coach Ben Thomas.[12] Hocker made his professional debut at the 2022 Millrose Games, where he competed in the 3,000 meter race. He ran a personal record of 7:39.83, placing third behind Geordie Beamish and teammate Cooper Teare.[13] Two weeks later at Gately Park in Chicago, in a bid for the American indoor mile record of 3:49.98, Teare and Hocker ran personal bests of 3:50.17 and 3:50.35 to place first and second.[14]

2022

At the 2022 USA Indoor Track and Field Championships in Spokane, Washington, Hocker doubled in the 1,500 meter and 3,000 meter events. He earned his second and third national titles, running a meet record time of 3:39.09 in the 1500m.[15] However, he opted out of the 2022 World Athletics Indoor Championships in Belgrade, turning his focus instead to the outdoor championships in July. [16] An injury at the US National Track and Field championships in June 2022, prevented him from qualifying in the 1500M for the World Outdoor Championships.[17]

2023

Hocker finished third at the 2023 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships, qualifying him for the 2023 World Athletics Championships in Budapest.[18] He placed 7th at the world championship final, en route to a new personal best of 3:30.7.[19] In September 2023, Hocker competed in the mile of the Diamond League final at the Perfontaine Classic. He had did not have enough Diamond League points to qualify, but the meet organizers entered him as a national wildcard,[20] based on a rule that allows the host nation to enter an athlete who is of adequate standing in each event.[21] In the race, Hocker finished sixth in a personal best of 3:48.08,[22] the fourth fastest time ever run by an American in the mile.[23]

2024

On 11 February 2024, Hocker ran 8:05.70 in the indoor 2-mile at the Millrose Games.[24] He finished third, behind compatriot Grant Fisher, who broke the American record in the event, and Scotsman Josh Kerr, who broke the world record. Hocker's time was also under the previous American record of 8:07.41 held by Galen Rupp. That same month, Hocker won a national title in the 1500 m at the 2024 USA Indoor Track and Field Championships, setting a meeting record in 3:37.51.[25] In March, he won a silver medal for the United States in the 1500 m at the 2024 World Athletics Indoor Championships in Glasgow, his first finish on the podium at a global competition.[26]

Achievements

All statistics from athlete's profile on World Athletics.[1]

Personal bests

Surface Event Time Date Venue
Outdoor track 800m 1:46.39 16 May 2021 Katherine B. Loker Stadium, Los Angeles, United States
1500m 3:30.70 23 August 2023 Nemzeti Atlétikai Központ, Budapest, Hungary
One mile 3:48.08 16 September 2023 Hayward Field, Eugene, United States
3000m 7:42.93 5 August 2023 AtletiekArena Gaston Roelants Kessel-Lo / Hal 5, Leuven, Belgium
5000m 13:08.55 19 March 2022 Cobb Track and Angell Field, Palo Alto, United States
Indoor track 800m 1:48.44 13 February 2021 Randal Tyson Indoor Center, Fayetteville, United States
1500m 3:36.69 4 March 2024 2024 World Athletics Indoor Championships, Glasgow, Scotland
One mile 3:50.35 11 February 2022 Gately Indoor TF Center, Chicago, United States
3000m 7:39.83 29 January 2022 Armory Track & Field Center, New York, United States
Road One mile road[note 1] 4:08.0h 6 June 2019 Indianapolis, United States

Major championships

Representing  USA
Year Competition Venue Position Event Time
2021 Olympic Games National Stadium, Tokyo, Japan 6th 1500m 3:31.40
2023 World Championships Nemzeti Atlétikai Központ, Budapest, Hungary 7th 1500m 3:30.70
2024 World Indoor Championships Commonwealth Arena, Glasgow, Scotland 2nd place, silver medalist(s) 1500m 3:36.69

Notes:

  1. ^ Hocker ran 3:51.00 on the road at the 2022 New Balance 5th Avenue Mile on September 11th, 2022, which is not listed on his World Athletics profile. Source

References

  1. ^ a b c Cole Hocker at World Athletics
  2. ^ Cole Hocker profile at TFRRS
  3. ^ "Cathedral's Cole Hocker leaves Oregon track team to turn pro at age 20".
  4. ^ Woods, David (August 1, 2021). "Cole Hocker runs from obscurity to breakout career; now he'll be tested on ultimate stage". The Indianapolis Star. Retrieved February 19, 2024.
  5. ^ Woods, David (December 8, 2018). "Cathedral's Cole Hocker wins national cross-country title". The Indianapolis Star. Retrieved February 19, 2024.
  6. ^ Mull, Cory (January 15, 2019). "Foot Locker Nationals Winner Cole Hocker Chooses Oregon". MileSplit United States. Retrieved February 19, 2024.
  7. ^ "Cole Hocker wins historic double, leads Oregon to NCAA indoor track title". IndyStar.com. March 13, 2021. Retrieved June 27, 2021.
  8. ^ Gault, Jonathan (June 12, 2021). "Cole Hocker Takes Down Yared Nuguse to Win 2021 NCAA 1500 Title in a Classic". letsrun.com. LetsRun.com, LLC. Retrieved June 27, 2021.
  9. ^ Goe, Ken (June 28, 2021). "Cole Hocker edges Matthew Centrowitz in electrifying 1,500 on final day of U.S. Olympic track and field trials". oregonlive.com. The Oregonian/OregonLive. Retrieved June 28, 2021.
  10. ^ "Cole Hocker The Real Deal, Matthew Centrowitz OUT - Men's 1500 Semis". LetsRun.com. August 5, 2021. Retrieved August 5, 2021.
  11. ^ "Oregon Ducks track Olympian Cole Hocker turns pro, signs with Nike". registerguard.com. September 13, 2021. Retrieved February 12, 2022.
  12. ^ "Oregon Ducks track star Cole Hocker announces he's joining Nike and turning pro". The Oregonian. September 14, 2021.
  13. ^ "2022 Millrose Men's Recap – Geordie Beamish Sneaks by Teare, Hoare Takes Down Kerr". LetsRun.com. January 29, 2022.
  14. ^ "Cooper Teare Beats Cole Hocker Again in the Mile as Both Just Miss American Record". LetsRun.com. February 11, 2022.
  15. ^ "Cole Hocker (Cathedral), Lynna Irby (Pike) run to USA indoor titles in successive races". indystar.com. February 27, 2022.
  16. ^ "Cole Hocker opts out of World Indoor Championships, turns focus to outdoor meet in Eugene". registerguard.com. March 1, 2022.
  17. ^ "Injury contributes to Cole Hocker's stunning elimination from 1,500 at nationals". indystar.com. June 24, 2022.
  18. ^ "World Athletics Outdoor Championships - News - Cole Hocker, Yared Nuguse to Represent U.S. in Men's 1,500-Meter Final in Budapest". www.runnerspace.com. Retrieved August 29, 2023.
  19. ^ LetsRun.com (August 23, 2023). "Josh Kerr Follows His Instincts to Incredible Upset in 1500m at 2023 World Championships". LetsRun.com. Retrieved August 29, 2023.
  20. ^ "DyeStat.com - News - Preview - 10 Storylines to Follow at Eugene Diamond League/Nike Prefontaine Classic 2023". www.runnerspace.com. Retrieved September 19, 2023.
  21. ^ "Explainer: Wild cards in the WDL Final". IDL Diamond League. Retrieved September 19, 2023.
  22. ^ "Prefontaine Classic | Results | World Athletics". worldathletics.org. Retrieved September 18, 2023.
  23. ^ LetsRun.com (September 16, 2023). "Jakob Ingebrigtsen (3:43.73) Tops Yared Nuguse (3:43.97) in Epic 2023 Bowerman Mile". LetsRun.com. Retrieved September 18, 2023.
  24. ^ Kotajarvi, Ryan (February 11, 2024). "Cole Hocker Runs Historic 2-Mile at 2024 Millrose Games". MileSplit Indiana. Retrieved February 19, 2024.
  25. ^ Woods, David (February 17, 2024). "It's an Olympic year, and Cole Hocker put folks on notice after dominant national title". The Indianapolis Star. Retrieved February 19, 2024.
  26. ^ LetsRun.com (March 3, 2024). "Geordie Beamish Wins Indoor 1500m Gold as Americans Cole Hocker and Hobbs Kessler Get Silver and Bronze". LetsRun.com. Retrieved March 4, 2024.

External links