Kerr only lost to Hocker because Jakob cut Kerr off in the final 100m...

The ultimate opening for Hocker was good fortune, but Kudos to him for so quickly seizing the opportunity under such pressure in the final sprint. His cadence increase was stunning.

Maybe. I don't think Kerr worked overly hard to get the position on Jakob's shoulder. He let Komen and Tim cover Jakob's early surge. If I'm being very critical, I would say Kerr could have spent less time on the outside of Lane 1. Going around Jakob on the end of the final curve probably cost him something whereas Hocker trusted that the rail would open up. I think in future, whoever has the lead in that last 100 will know that Hocker will be looking for the inside pass and close it off so he'll have to go round. Yesterday, Hocker benefited from not being the primary focus, he no longer has that luxury, the gold medal has put a target on his back.

Anyway, my general view is that if someone runs a PB without any major screw-ups, it's hard to criticise them.

Hocker would’ve won by several yards if Jakob hadn’t cut him off and delayed Cole’s subsequent surge.

The inferiority complex runs deep. Don't worry, guys, your great empire has at least another 20 years before you lose (your comically brief) hegemony to the Chinese.

Don't know why Jakob left the inside lane open for Cole. Biggest mistake I've ever seen. Cole would have gotten the world record if Jakob hadn't blocked cole the first time- you can see Cole having to slow way down as he was blocked, and then Jakob stupidly left the lane open for him to pass!

Swinging out through traffic into lane 3 or 4 and trying to pass everyone the long way is also a gamble. Sticking to the rail has better odds, and Hocker has successfully played those odds many times. Runners trying to hold someone off the last 100 almost always drift wide. Even Hocker himself was in lane 2 by the time he crossed the line!

I don't like this kind of argumentations, 3 guys ended under 3:28 for the first time of their life.

Sometimes in situations such as this the athlete runs against the man rather than against the field. Jakob covered Kerr as he perhaps was his focus as a primary rival, which then allowed Hocker an inside run. If Jacob had stayed in lane 1, Hocker has no run to the line and this result was more likely to have been Kerr/Jacob/Nuguse. Of course this is mere speculation for the fun of it.

1000%. Hocker’s never give up attitude is what won him the Gold. He got blocked but didn’t let that phase him. Reset and re-kicked like crazy to win. Epic.

Watch the final 150m in slow motion. Hocker tried the inside move and Ingy shut the door. Hocker moved directly behind him. From there, it didn't matter which way Ingy went. Hocker was ready to launch right or left. If Ingy went left, Hocker squeezes between him and Kerr and wins. He went right and Hocker hit the afterburner and went by on the rails. I see no scenario where he would lose that race.

Cole H-OH-Kur won gold. No matter how many times Tollefson? tried to correct his pronunciation of it.

Hocker was fitter on the day.

He used a less skilled strategy and would have lost if Jakob stayed in lane 1.

Does anyone else think that if Nuguse gets by Tim C. before Hocker cuts him off on the back straight, passing Nuguse and Tim C. first, that Nuguse might have won the race? That stopped Nuguse's momentum similarly to how Ingy closed the rail to Hocker going into the home straight.

Not sure why this is downvoted. I'd say he has the most punchable face in sports.

Very strange race for me. I desperately wanted Jakob to win because the sport is exponentially better off with a guy like that on top, saying what he thinks while chasing records and assuming gold.

I never even contemplated Cole Hocker with an opportunity to win, nor who I would root for if it came down to Kerr vs. Hocker. But once it played out that way I instinctively switched to Hocker with no hesitation. Kerr as king was worst case here and elsewhere, given how the result vs. Jakob would have been interpreted.

Now Kerr is indeed the Next Guy, three years after being the Next Next Guy.

Except isn't the sport exponentially better off also with a great rivalry? Kerr as king would mean the Jakob and Kerr rivalry is still ON. Now it's much more muddled.

The first attempt by Hocker was stupid. The fact that he rescued the race later doesn't excuse his lack of situational awareness entering the stretch.

Top frontrunners always hug the turn at that point, especially when they feel pressure from their right shoulder. They are determined to run the shortest distance, not to drift out. Hocker got closed down just like when Keely Hodgkinson tried to squeeze inside of Athing Mu during the 2022 Eugene final. Mu is well known for running outside lane one but even she didn't allow a full clear path.

Even though I wanted Hocker to defeat Kerr I'm sort of annoyed at the way it played out. Late closers are supposed to pay a price. Allowing them to run the shortest distance is the opposite of forcing them to pay a price.

Hocker was gifted the Calvin Borel path