He had a challenging first full year as a pro. He should have gone to World Indoors when he had the chance - when you're hot, press on the gas and go for the medals because you never know when an injury is around the corner.
He was hugely overhyped on this board before Tokyo, but I still think he can get back to being one of the top-10 1500 guys in the world. To get beyond that and into the medals, he would need to change his tactics but there's no reason to think he can't do that.
wouldn’t you say 5th in the Olympics for a 20yo would be equal to the hype?
6th. And yes, it was good. But the hype was all about him medalling and in reality, he was never a factor in the final. Good for him that he kicked his way to health insurance, but no one at the front ever had to think about him during the race.
I just think he is just working back from injury. He still has the talent but if you can't stay healthy, you can slide right off the radar. I want to see him come back stronger than ever and race Nuguse again, but I'd put that at about 50-50 right now.
p.s. I asked this question before, but if you had to bet the house, would you bet that Hocker makes a comeback to his old form (national champ, making Olympic teams, etc.) or basically fades out of the sport? Which one of those scenarios would you pick right now if you were betting?
My understanding is he has been injured on and off for the last year or so. Even still, 3:50/13:08 in an injury-plagued year is decent. My bet would be on him coming back. I am not sure he is just going to dominate the event like Centrowitz did, though. We'll see.
Cranny might be a similar case -- she ran 4:10 in HS for 1500 and was injured on and off through college. She had some decent results, a few runner-up performances in NCAA, but I wasn't sure if she'd ever get through her injury woes. She did, obviously. Hocker just needs to get on a good strength/PT/whatever type of program he needs to keep himself healthy and he certainly has the talent to stay in the hunt for world teams for 10+ years.
Like Teare, he's a good 800m guy, 1:46, ran low 13, along with his 3:31, and was a xc national champ in hs. Bowerman seemed like the right group for him, but On has now shown itself to be the better group because it has three 1500m men at or above his best level so far.
My understanding is he has been injured on and off for the last year or so. Even still, 3:50/13:08 in an injury-plagued year is decent. My bet would be on him coming back. I am not sure he is just going to dominate the event like Centrowitz did, though. We'll see.
Cranny might be a similar case -- she ran 4:10 in HS for 1500 and was injured on and off through college. She had some decent results, a few runner-up performances in NCAA, but I wasn't sure if she'd ever get through her injury woes. She did, obviously. Hocker just needs to get on a good strength/PT/whatever type of program he needs to keep himself healthy and he certainly has the talent to stay in the hunt for world teams for 10+ years.
Hocker is just a huge talent. I'm hoping this doesn't become a Brazier type situation where he can't stay healthy. Hocker only needs about 10 weeks of good training (e.g. 60-70 mpw, some speed mixed in) and I think he could run 1:45/3:30/13:05 and be extremely formidable in a slow race. Durability/the ability to stay healthy is a talent and it's to me why Mario Garcia Romo and Oli Hoare have seemingly passed Hocker, while I don't put them at his talent level.
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I just think he is just working back from injury. He still has the talent but if you can't stay healthy, you can slide right off the radar. I want to see him come back stronger than ever and race Nuguse again, but I'd put that at about 50-50 right now.
p.s. I asked this question before, but if you had to bet the house, would you bet that Hocker makes a comeback to his old form (national champ, making Olympic teams, etc.) or basically fades out of the sport? Which one of those scenarios would you pick right now if you were betting?
I think it's more likely that he gets back to being a 3:30-3:32 guy. I don't see him fading out of the sport. I look at the US 1500 scene and can't see how he would ever be outside of the top-3 if he's not injured. He'll be making a living from the sport at least until his early-30s
wouldn’t you say 5th in the Olympics for a 20yo would be equal to the hype?
6th. And yes, it was good. But the hype was all about him medalling and in reality, he was never a factor in the final. Good for him that he kicked his way to health insurance, but no one at the front ever had to think about him during the race.
Jacob would've needed binoculars on the back of his head to have known Hocker was racing.
Maybe you should look up his coach and what his athletes have accomplished. Look up their HS PRs. Hocker was US OT champ and 6th in the Olympics. Seems like decent coaching.
Injuries can cause slow recovery. His talent has not gone away. He needs months of healthy running and can be world class again. Odds are against any athlete who wants to get a OG or WC medal, but he still has a chance.
Maybe you should look up his coach and what his athletes have accomplished. Look up their HS PRs. Hocker was US OT champ and 6th in the Olympics. Seems like decent coaching.
Injuries can cause slow recovery. His talent has not gone away. He needs months of healthy running and can be world class again. Odds are against any athlete who wants to get a OG or WC medal, but he still has a chance.
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