The last 100m, where he gets slowed down a bit then kicks again, is likely one of the greatest athlete feats I have ever seen. Probably the greatest modern USA distance running achievements.
Imagine living in a world where we're supposed to accept sex change weirdos, people with tattoos on their face, etc and you're worried that his hair is shoulder length.
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.
Again, where are all these Hocker haters? I see almost nothing but support. This is just that whole everyone wanting to be the victim mentality. Josh Kerr has achieved more and gets way more grief on this site
Hocker is experiencing the usual churn from fans and the media that all elite athletes experience. Until you win a championship, that's all anybody can talk about. After you do, they want to know if you can win another. Even if you win two, then they want to know if you are the goat and will tell you why you are not. Very few athletes get beyond this. Think Bolt or Bekele or Jordan or Brady. Short of these goat of goats, everbody else gets doubted, even Jakob, even Mahomes. Hocker is amazing, he's now at step 2, and so few get there, but he's not experiencing anything unique for people in his position. It's a privilege and an honor, in fact.
He has got the Gold Medal.....everyone else can go suck an egg. Ask any of his contemporaries. Olympic Gold, WR or shiny new PB? The answer is clear. In the words of the infamous Ricky Bobby "If you ain't first, you're last"
Again, where are all these Hocker haters? I see almost nothing but support. This is just that whole everyone wanting to be the victim mentality. Josh Kerr has achieved more and gets way more grief on this site
Where did rojo reference haters?
There are plenty of people concerned he hasn't won anything since the Olympics. The evidence of this is everywhere, and if you're choosing not to see it... well, that's on you.
There’s nothing to really to win, and this year’s WC, will be his first “race” since the Olympics.
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.
One major difference, Centro won in a slow race. Hocker won in a fast race. But yes he got it right.
In my opinion, winning Olympic Gold puts you on a level kind of separate from everyone else, it's something nobody can ever take from you, and there's nothing to debate. Cole Hocker was the best 1500m runner in the world that day, and it was awesome. He could retire tomorrow and still be a legend for winning OG for the US. Seeing him and Nuguse go 1-2 for the US is one of my favorite finishes of any races I have watched.
Winning a gold medal is a accomplishment but not the only thing that makes a successful running career. There are many ways to perform (Diamond League, World Championships and fast times) The Olympics are just another pinnacle track meet.
They are not "just another pinnacle track meet". They are the most watched. DL races are time trials with rabbits that you have to be invited to.
World Champs are on par to me since it is the best and no rabbits, but just far less watched and far less cared about amongst the masses.
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.
The times are very different. In those days few people competed in more than 1 Olympics (outside of a few countries where the athletes were on government payrolls) in large part because they could not make a living from it.
There are plenty of people concerned he hasn't won anything since the Olympics. The evidence of this is everywhere, and if you're choosing not to see it... well, that's on you.
There’s nothing to really to win, and this year’s WC, will be his first “race” since the Olympics.
Again, where are all these Hocker haters? I see almost nothing but support. This is just that whole everyone wanting to be the victim mentality. Josh Kerr has achieved more and gets way more grief on this site
Hocker is experiencing the usual churn from fans and the media that all elite athletes experience. Until you win a championship, that's all anybody can talk about. After you do, they want to know if you can win another. Even if you win two, then they want to know if you are the goat and will tell you why you are not. Very few athletes get beyond this. Think Bolt or Bekele or Jordan or Brady. Short of these goat of goats, everbody else gets doubted, even Jakob, even Mahomes. Hocker is amazing, he's now at step 2, and so few get there, but he's not experiencing anything unique for people in his position. It's a privilege and an honor, in fact.
Jordan didn’t play all 5 positions and Brady all 22. To win a SB, a good defense is a must.
Again, where are all these Hocker haters? I see almost nothing but support. This is just that whole everyone wanting to be the victim mentality. Josh Kerr has achieved more and gets way more grief on this site
Hocker is experiencing the usual churn from fans and the media that all elite athletes experience. Until you win a championship, that's all anybody can talk about. After you do, they want to know if you can win another. Even if you win two, then they want to know if you are the goat and will tell you why you are not. Very few athletes get beyond this. Think Bolt or Bekele or Jordan or Brady. Short of these goat of goats, everbody else gets doubted, even Jakob, even Mahomes. Hocker is amazing, he's now at step 2, and so few get there, but he's not experiencing anything unique for people in his position. It's a privilege and an honor, in fact.
It's more. He has not won one race since his OG gold I believe
Is he the next Centro? Just known for one race? I think he is way better than Centro, but he must win races. He also needs to be a protagonist in international races and not just ran 20-30 min behind the leaders that's boring. Nuguse has more guts.
Project Nike shut down 2019 not too long ago those associated with Salazar may or not be tainted
It is not beyond the pale to suggest they all may be on something all would be the research dietary and technology accompany these gifted athletes contribute to their great performances
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.
Hocker did not just win. Beat the previous winner. Jakob, who had held the Olympic Record and ran under his previous record but still only got 4th. All of the top 4 were under the previous OR. To win on a day when so many brought their best is a major achievement. I think most would trade multiple other wins that would be “backing it up" (Diamond League, etc) for that gold and that OR. Especially in the current super-charged group of 1500m runners.
It’s easy to say Cole Hocker got lucky at the Olympics—because, well, he did. If JI had closed the inside lane, Hocker likely finishes fourth. But that’s the nature of a 1500m final stacked with talent. In races like that, the winner is almost always a mix of greatness on that day and good fortune. Hocker had both when it counted.
But let’s not overlook the other side of the story: Yared Nuguse. Most people don’t realize that Nuguse’s final 200 meters were just as fast as Hocker’s. The difference? He launched his kick from a worse position. In the 1500m, positioning is everything—and Nuguse simply didn’t have the same window.
I’m a Hocker fan, no doubt. But if I had to bet on who history will remember as the better runner, my money’s on Nuguse. Both of these guys are on a fast track to being mentioned among the greatest American mid-distance runners of all time.
Is he the next Centro? Just known for one race? I think he is way better than Centro, but he must win races. He also needs to be a protagonist in international races and not just ran 20-30 min behind the leaders that's boring. Nuguse has more guts.
The Centro narrative is maddening. He was known for championship excellence including a World Indoor title and 2 WC medals, and he also won Wanamaker miles as far as signature victories. 2016 was the cherry on top of a remarkable career as the sport’s foremost tactician.
The guy you and others are looking for is Jake Wightman, who has one signature win, and no other global medals or significant titles (Commonwealth/European) or even wins.