Hocker is the best US 1500 runner of all time

I don't count Lagat's mark to be the American record.

He became a citizen, ran the record time, and THEN ran for Kenya in the Olympics. So, he considered himself Kenyan at the time... no American record.

Think bigger. Cole Hocker is the best sportsman of all time, across literally all sports, in my view.

He has the racing IQ of Centro, while having the aerobic power of Lagat. He will win at least one World gold in the future. Mark my words!

It was impressive but where are his world championship titles? job not done

Even if you don't count it USTAF still does.

The weird thing is that Lagat first broke the American record in 2005 with a 3:29.3.
For a while that was the AR.

Then they retroactively called his 3:27.4 from 2004 the AR when a story came out that he quietly was given US citizenship in early 2004.

Normally you have to apply to have an American Record ratified within 60 days or so.
Not sure how it got ratified.

I love Lagat and am happy to accept his 2007 Gold medals for the US, but calling his 2004 the AR as he represented Kenya never felt right.

So I call it the US citizen record, not the American record.

Centro was a great racer, tactically brilliant, but was also very, very lucky to win the olympics. When you think about the greats who didn't win, Cram, Ovett and Lagat, Centro was never the athlete they were.

Hocker, however, is an exceptional winner. He could have won today under any circumstance. There's no way Centro wins today.

Hocker is America's best ever middle distance runner.

Jim Ryun ran 3:51 on a cinder track wearing horrific shoes and running essentially alone. Given the training, shoes, and tracks today, the man would be running 3:40. Let’s be rational here. He was snakebit when it came to big races for sure, so in that sense someone who wins an Olympic gold medal definitely has something he doesn’t. But Hocker doesn’t have the body of work yet. Not even close. And no one before today would have said he’s the greatest American 1500 runner of all time. Just like we wouldn’t say Centrowitz is either. Remember the history of track and field goes back more than 5 years.

Lets just say he's a great runner and Olympic Champion.

Can everyone stop with the Jim Ryun worship. Yes, he was America's first great miler and deserves recognition as such. But lets be real - Cole Hocker just went out and won the Olympic final in 3:27 OR. Beating last year's world champ, the reigning Olympic champ and 3:26 guy, and a 3:43 miler. As much talent as Jim Ryun had and how fast people speculate he'd run today, he never achieved anything like what Hocker did today. Your legacy is shaped by what you actually achieve, not speculation. For some reason Jim Ryun gets a pass on this.

You definitely sound like Peter Pan. Stop with anointing someone the greatest of all time just because they win one gold medal. If that’s the standard then there are about a million “greatest of all times”. Body of work friend, not one single race. No passes being given. Today’s track runners have everything set up for them to do well. Not surprising when they do. Hocker ran a good race, got somewhat lucky with a front runner who ran dumb, and had a great last 100. That’s it in a nutshell.

Cole already has a much more impressive body of work than Jim Ryun unless you count Ryun's hypothetical races if he ran today. How do you know he'd run those times? Cole has won an Olympics, 2 Olympic trials, and has run faster than Ryun's 1500m best like 5 times.

Cole definitely pulled off one of the greatest 1500-meter wins by an American of all-time. Still, it's way too soon to call him the greatest US 1500 meter runner of all time. Centro has an Olympic gold and more World Champs medals on his resume. Remember, Yared has a 3:43 mile AR to his credit, and obviously is not that far behind Cole. Things can change rapidly, within a year or too. Plus, you never know, Hobbs Kessler could turn out to be a better talent than both Cole or Yared. This subject needs 4 more years of development and clarity before we start talking about who is the greatest of all-time. There are too many factors that are still wildly in flux. Cole is great; yet, he's got to do a few more things to become a definitive number one that is head and shoulders above all the past, present, and future stars of US middle-distance.

Did you watch the race? If Ingebrigtsen doesn’t move out from the rail, Hocker has nowhere to go. He has to around Kerr and Ingebrigtsen to win. And Nuguse is in lane three.

No. Time is the Common Denominator for Running. It is not like Boxing when you get a lucky swing in and knock down a big name - you would have to prove that you are not lucky.

You run that fastest time ever, you are the GOAT ... for your country.

Ryan was the GOAT and he will continue to be perceived as a figure that set the benchmark, way ahead of his time. But even that way-ahead time has passed. And now, there is a new GOAT.

Ryun, Webb, and lagat are better. No super shoes.. More raw ability

Hocker ran an incredibly fast time with multiple gear changes. I think he could easily go a second or two faster in a perfect, rabbited race. Hocker is the most exciting racer I have ever seen. Hocker and Quincy Wilson have that certain vibe I just can't put my finger on, but it is there. They are both fine, fine people, full of life, and both exude a certain measure of raw talent and innocence.

Amazing athletes, but Jim Ryun is still better. Jim Ryun ran 3:33.1 on a dirt track in the middle of a 90° Los Angeles smoggy summer afternoon with cheap leather shoes. And that was over half a century ago!

As for the Olympic medal, Ryun got a silver medal running 3:34 at 7300 ft elevation as a non-altitude athlete. Again, over half a century ago.