Cole Hocker has won gold in the men’s 1500m at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, stunning favourites Josh Kerr and Jakob Ingebrigtsen. Hocker, an American athlete who finished seventh at the previous year’s World Championships and sixth at the previous Olympics, took advantage of Kerr and Ingebrigtsen’s rivalry, slipping past the pair to win in an Olympic record time of 3:27.65. Kerr, the defending world champion, set a new personal best and British record of 3:27.79 to claim silver, while Yared Nuguse of the United States took bronze with a personal best of 3:27.80.
Norway’s Ingebrigtsen, the defending Olympic champion and fourth-fastest man of all-time in the 1500m, led for much of the race but faded in the final stages to finish fourth. Kerr and Ingebrigtsen, who have been locked in a highly anticipated rivalry, were expected to battle it out for the gold medal. The pair had exchanged public comments leading up to the race and had been widely touted as the athletes to beat in Paris. However, Hocker’s stunning victory was a complete surprise, and he became an overnight Olympic champion and global athletics star.
Kerr was proud of his silver medal and praised Hocker and Ingebrigtsen for their performances. The rivalry between Kerr and Ingebrigtsen dates back to 2023 when Kerr won his first world championship, and the two athletes have exchanged comments in the media ever since. Kerr’s silver medal in Paris cemented his status as one of the world’s leading 1500m runners. In contrast, Ingebrigtsen was bitterly disappointed with his fourth-place finish and later admitted that his fast start had not been intentional, and it ultimately proved his downfall.
The men’s 1500m final was one of the most highly anticipated races of the 2024 Olympics, with the crowd in the Stade de France roaring the athletes on. Hocker’s surprise gold medal added to what has been a thrilling athletics program in Paris and created a significant upset in the sport. Hocker’s victory proved that anything is possible in athletics, and Kerr and Ingebrigtsen will no doubt seek to come back stronger next time to take on the new Olympic champion
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