The fact that he kicked twice in the final 100m to win the Olympic Gold medal showed to everyone that Hocker is the real deal and the greatest 1500m runner in the world on that day. Go USA!!! USA!!!
This. And it was off of a scorching pace. I don't think anyone was beating him that day.
ive always thought Hocker was clean, but something i read recently made me think there's a bit more chance he's not. He's got one of those overambitious, hovering sports dads. Those are the people who will push the envelope the farthest. And it's a conversation that can more easily be had between a father and a son than a coach/athlete.
It's the same feeling I get about Valby.
And im not saying he is or they are. I just think it pushes the odds up a little higher.
Made the fewest mistakes and made the right choices at the right times. Different day, maybe different result but for all the Hocker haters, he got it right when it counted. Like Centrowitz.
Don’t agree. He made a catastrophic mistake inside the final 100 but was so good he got it going a second time and still won.
This wasn’t a lucky win, he was the best and most prepared.
There’s no such thing as an “expert” in doping accusations. Every one has access to his race results and it’s just based on someone’s level of cynicism. Is Armstronglivs an expert?
He's right in that if you have an Olympic or WC gold, you get cut a lot of slack. Bu he's got a lot to prove he isn't a one-hit wonder. Let's see him get on the podium in a few more WC or Olympics.
There’s no such thing as an “expert” in doping accusations. Every one has access to his race results and it’s just based on someone’s level of cynicism. Is Armstronglivs an expert?
It depends what you mean by "expert". Being informed about the issue is definitely superior to being uninformed, or naive or even in denial. It is possible to be informed through the factual and anecdotal information that has long been available about doping, such as confidential athlete surveys and the acknowledged disparity between the estimated levels of doping and the numbers of those actually caught. Added to that may be the information communicated personally by antidoping officials, athletes and coaches, if you have access to such contacts.
Experts? I would include top WADA and antidoping officials and those they rely on for their data. And sportsmen who have engaged in the practice and talked about it. Like Jose Canseco and Victor Conte.
The bigger picture is of practices that are pervasive in all sports today, in all countries and at the highest level. That isn't "cynicism"; it is fact. The additional fact it cannot be definitively measured, because it is clandestine, does not alter that reality. It is such an indelible feature of sports today that arguing about how many are doping becomes little more than trying to count the number of angels dancing on the head of a pin. Doping is always present; what difference does it make if it's a significant minority of athletes - which it will be - or most - which is possible?
Winning an Olympic gold is a definitive achievement, but the athlete's standing in the sport also requires backing it up. That Hocker has yet to do. He has done little outside his Olympic triumph. It is similar to the converse situation of an athlete who regularly wins at an international level but fails to win at an Olympic or global championship level in that event. There is a significant gap in the resume.
There’s no such thing as an “expert” in doping accusations. Every one has access to his race results and it’s just based on someone’s level of cynicism. Is Armstronglivs an expert?
On doping and the USA, particularly race relations in the USA, yes, Armstronglivs is an expert... in his own mind, but nowhere else.
Winning an Olympic gold is a definitive achievement, but the athlete's standing in the sport also requires backing it up. That Hocker has yet to do. He has done little outside his Olympic triumph. It is similar to the converse situation of an athlete who regularly wins at an international level but fails to win at an Olympic or global championship level in that event. There is a significant gap in the resume.
Based on many, many posts about Centro and Hocker, I have concluded that there are few, if any, fans from any country that will ridicule their own champions more and faster than Americans. Call it "throwing them under the bus" or whatever, but there is a lot of it and it is predictable.
He's right in that if you have an Olympic or WC gold, you get cut a lot of slack. Bu he's got a lot to prove he isn't a one-hit wonder. Let's see him get on the podium in a few more WC or Olympics.
Mills, Wottle and Juantorena were never referred to as one-hit wonders. Winning an Olympic Gold is the ultimate achievement. Because he never won a gold, Ryun’s career was somewhat of a disappointment.
He's won everything at every level. Some on here still aren't satiisfed - so screw what they think.
I mean just compare him to Centro. Hocker won 3 NCAA titles despite only being in college for two years (and they didn't even have NCAAs his freshman year in college). Centro won 1. Hocker has already won 2 Olympic trials in his career. Centro won 1. Centro never set an American record. Hocker set an American record while winning Olympic gold.
Now Centro won 2 other global medals outdoors and 4 other US outdoor titles and also won indoor gold (Hocker has a silver). But Hocker only turned 24 last month.
There’s no such thing as an “expert” in doping accusations. Every one has access to his race results and it’s just based on someone’s level of cynicism. Is Armstronglivs an expert?
On doping and the USA, particularly race relations in the USA, yes, Armstronglivs is an expert... in his own mind, but nowhere else.
I don't claim to be an expert. But it is easy to be better informed than most who post here. The bar is pretty low.
Winning an Olympic gold is a definitive achievement, but the athlete's standing in the sport also requires backing it up. That Hocker has yet to do. He has done little outside his Olympic triumph. It is similar to the converse situation of an athlete who regularly wins at an international level but fails to win at an Olympic or global championship level in that event. There is a significant gap in the resume.
and then there is jakob who has it all :)
Not in the 1500 since 2021. That's quite a growing gap in his resume.
Based on many, many posts about Centro and Hocker, I have concluded that there are few, if any, fans from any country that will ridicule their own champions more and faster than Americans. Call it "throwing them under the bus" or whatever, but there is a lot of it and it is predictable.
BBC's Sportsworld interviewed Cole Hocker for 45 minutes in the following podcast - The Warm Up Track 2025: How Cole Hocker won Olympic 1500m gold - BBC Sounds
Here are some key highlights and notable quotes from Cole Hocker in the podcast:
1. On Winning Olympic Gold (32:00) "I truly felt like the only one in that stadium... 50 meters to go was just completely out of body. I kind of described it as like, it sounds kind of cliche, like out of the movies, but I was the only one in that stadium."
2. On His Running Journey (6:21) "I've been doing the sport my entire life... At nine years old, I started running. I had buddies doing it, and one thing I think, looking back on, is that we worked hard. It doesn't take long to realize if I work at something, I'm going to get better at it."
3. On the Current Era of Running (23:11) "I think everyone kind of understands it right now, who's in the 1500m, how good it is right now... You have to be top five in the world to make this USA team."
Around the 45 minute mark, he praised GST saying it's "pushing the sport forward" despite the cancellation of LA.
Bonus Quote on His Olympic Mindset (36:34) "There's nothing up for debate. Olympic record, Olympic gold. I don't even care how people view me. I know what I've done at that point."
The problem with Hocker is that he has not won any of his international races since that Gold. So the people who view him as a flash in the pan are kind of right.
He's won everything at every level. Some on here still aren't satiisfed - so screw what they think.
I mean just compare him to Centro. Hocker won 3 NCAA titles despite only being in college for two years (and they didn't even have NCAAs his freshman year in college). Centro won 1. Hocker has already won 2 Olympic trials in his career. Centro won 1. Centro never set an American record. Hocker set an American record while winning Olympic gold.
Now Centro won 2 other global medals outdoors and 4 other US outdoor titles and also won indoor gold (Hocker has a silver). But Hocker only turned 24 last month.
The level for an Olympic champion isn't national but international competition. That may include other global titles, DL wins, further wins over his rivals, and even world records. Hocker isn't showing any indications of making these yet.