Does Jakob have to perform at a national championship to make his team? Do you care about Jakob's results at the Norway championship? For Hocker, this meet is a nuisance that he has to endure to have the right to race Jakob and others at Worlds. Meanwhile lots of his competitors are training with a peak focused on worlds and no national meet they have to waste time on. It is what it is.
I don't care about Jacob's performance at the Norway championships, but I wish they both cared as much about the DL final (or some other equivalent) as they do about the world final. Hocker winning the olympics last year and then being indifferent to the rest of the races that season was also lame. It's not Hocker's fault, it's the sport's for having a single important race each season.
Do you think he was lying now? Or does smoking the best US 5000 field in history despite leading the entire race wasnt proof enough that he was well within himself yesterday…
If he could’ve won yesterday he would’ve. You can pretend he was saving himself to make the 5k team if you want, but after seeing how much the win meant to him today it’s pretty obvious he wasn’t happy with 3rd in his main event.
Do you think he was lying now? Or does smoking the best US 5000 field in history despite leading the entire race wasnt proof enough that he was well within himself yesterday…
Do you think he was lying now? Or does smoking the best US 5000 field in history despite leading the entire race wasnt proof enough that he was well within himself yesterday…
And he did it exactly the way everyone knew he was going to do it.
I'm with Kara G on this one: "If anyone had any questions after yesterday..."
Weird for him to call it the easiest race of the season though. He got run by. He seems a little defensive in interviews this year trying to live up to the Olympic champion title whilst not winning much. It was weird how much he downplayed winning, and didn't give props to Jonah and Ethan
Man. He seems a little off and defensive. I can’t put my finger on it, but something about this guy is starting to become annoying.
He did have a 5k waiting for him on the other side of the finish line, which he torched two possible medalists off a pace that wasn't exactly crawling, compared to something like Coscoran's 3k steal in Grand Slam.
Hocker has lost to Koech earlier in the season, but so did Kerr and Nuguse. Koech is good, and getting better at this specific event. Strand went 3:48 indoors and is seemingly better outdoors, despite paper not proving it before today. Hocker was 3:27 at worlds last year, but what was his best before that? What is his best a month out of championship time? He has run a PB in 800 and 3k this year. It's silly to think he isn't brewing a dirty September.
Although it is optimistic, it's also POSSIBLE to see WRs in every event from 800 to 10k if finals go honest from the gun. The right cast is there, and in the 1500, Hocker is a part of that cast. I still can't say the same for Koech and Strand.
If he could’ve won yesterday he would’ve. You can pretend he was saving himself to make the 5k team if you want, but after seeing how much the win meant to him today it’s pretty obvious he wasn’t happy with 3rd in his main event.
I never would pretend that, but that never was what he or I stated. I said I believed him when he said he felt great and the race felt easy. He made mental mistakes, but physically he felt great. Today he showed that was the case. You’re in denial if you think a guy who led for 4200 of an 5000 and then had the best last 400 by a whole second was in a “hard” race the day before.
If he could’ve won yesterday he would’ve. You can pretend he was saving himself to make the 5k team if you want, but after seeing how much the win meant to him today it’s pretty obvious he wasn’t happy with 3rd in his main event.
I never would pretend that, but that never was what he or I stated. I said I believed him when he said he felt great and the race felt easy. He made mental mistakes, but physically he felt great. Today he showed that was the case. You’re in denial if you think a guy who led for 4200 of an 5000 and then had the best last 400 by a whole second was in a “hard” race the day before.
Interestingly, with a 60.17, only 6 of the 20 finishers had a slower penultimate lap. He let quite a few go past him before attacking hard.
Do you think he was lying now? Or does smoking the best US 5000 field in history despite leading the entire race wasnt proof enough that he was well within himself yesterday…
LOL, he won a 13:20 race
LOL the best 5000 field in history
Keep trying!
I actually agree that this was the best US field in history. Fisher, Young, Blanks, Hocker, Teare, Wolfe…
So far we can confirm that the Olympic champion isn't good enough now to be national champion. The rest is details.
If he wins in Tokyo, third at the US Champs will be a “detail”. The only thing he loses by getting third is a Nike bonus. Unlike Hobbs & - potentially - Nuguse, he got to the next race in his quest for gold.
"IF" he wins in Tokyo - and pigs can fly. And peds work. He hasn't won anything since Paris.
To be fair it, was a complete jogfest until the bell. Not even 60 second laps.
By that logic does Centros gold not count? Both controlled and front ran the race entirely. Obviously a US champ is different but impressive nonetheless, no?
Do you think he was lying now? Or does smoking the best US 5000 field in history despite leading the entire race wasnt proof enough that he was well within himself yesterday…
And he did it exactly the way everyone knew he was going to do it.
I'm with Kara G on this one: "If anyone had any questions after yesterday..."
If he only needed to qualify why did he win it? What applies to the 1500 doesn't apply to the 5k? Strange.
Cole Hocker ran just as well in the 1500 as he did last year. He ran just as well as he thought he could.
He did not know that there were two guys who could keep up with him in a 100 meter sprint.
On Saturday, he learned.
Just like the field eventually adapted to Jingy's strength, and closed that gap, the field has now adapted to Hocker's speed. Show the people what they need to work on, and they will go and do it.