Brother are we seriously calling this field weak??? Ky finish 4th was amazing because he has improved and come onto the pro scene well. I cant believe u guys always find some excuse
He is the best distance runner in the United States in the modern era, arguably ever, since we historically suck at distance on the world stage. Can we start naming major track meets after him. Give him his flowers now.
Crazy thing is he’s only 24, just entering his prime. I suspect that once his career is finished, he could well be considered the greatest American distance runner ever.
Happy for Hocker! Will all the people that were dismissing him as a "one-hit wonder" now start calling him a "two-hit wonder"?
I'm sure he will have one great race next year, too. After being beaten the rest of the time. Lance will be impressed.
Sorry, man. I know you get your jollies from trying to change the mood every time most of us get excited about a runner doing well, but it's not going to work. I'm celebrating Hocker's win, and none of your endless ranting will change that. This will be my one and only response to you in this thread.
Congratulations to Cole Hocker on winning the gold! Let the haters rage while the rest of us rejoice!
I don't think you people are actually fans of the sport if you unironically think a race that's ran less than once a year is the only race that matters in the sport.
I don't think many people think like that exactly, but I would say winning races other than Oly/WC is more like a tie-breaker. Like if two people have same amount of Oly/WC golds, then we would compare them through PR (or WRs count), then how many races they win.
There's plenty of people in this thread who thinks exactly like that, hence why I wrote my comment in this thread.
So international races, DL races - even national championships - don't matter? He's only serious for one race a year?
Yes. As the Brojos often argue, it’d be nice to have more meets that matter in Track and Field. But as it stands, we don’t. A Diamond League win only pays $20k, which is a pittance for someone like Cole Hocker.
A professional running career isn't just one race a year. But it would be to a doper. Genuine athletes try to win every time they compete. That's what sportsmen and women do. It isn't just about one cheque.
What is also implausible is that an athlete can be so uncommitted as to be mediocre throughout the year, win nothing, and then become the absolute best in the world in a global championship. It's like transitioning from being a dilettante or a journeyman to becoming the best on the planet overnight. Fake.
You can say peaking, but is there anyone in the world who peaks like Hocker? In 2024 he was soundly beaten all year until the 3:30 with a huge last lap at USAs, then he ran 3:27 in Paris and still had an enormous kick. None of his 1500m races before or since have been anywhere near that level. This year he only ran 12:57 off the back of his 7:23 and got dropped in his only DL 5k appearance, but today he closed a 12:58 in 52 to win gold.
Gault asked him what he does between USAs and Olympics/Worlds to improve so dramatically and he didn’t really answer the question.
My guess is he loses some weight. Not really considered polite to talk about it. This was I think part of how Manzano, Centro, and Symmonds produced big peaks (I am reading between lines a little here based on comments each previously made). It is not sustainable for long, so results look different most of the year.
I'm sure he will have one great race next year, too. After being beaten the rest of the time. Lance will be impressed.
Sorry, man. I know you get your jollies from trying to change the mood every time most of us get excited about a runner doing well, but it's not going to work. I'm celebrating Hocker's win, and none of your endless ranting will change that. This will be my one and only response to you in this thread.
Congratulations to Cole Hocker on winning the gold! Let the haters rage while the rest of us rejoice!
You correctly used the description a "two hit wonder". You didn't recognise the implications of what you were saying.
You can say peaking, but is there anyone in the world who peaks like Hocker? In 2024 he was soundly beaten all year until the 3:30 with a huge last lap at USAs, then he ran 3:27 in Paris and still had an enormous kick. None of his 1500m races before or since have been anywhere near that level. This year he only ran 12:57 off the back of his 7:23 and got dropped in his only DL 5k appearance, but today he closed a 12:58 in 52 to win gold.
Gault asked him what he does between USAs and Olympics/Worlds to improve so dramatically and he didn’t really answer the question.
My guess is he loses some weight. Not really considered polite to talk about it. This was I think part of how Manzano, Centro, and Symmonds produced big peaks (I am reading between lines a little here based on comments each previously made). It is not sustainable for long, so results look different most of the year.
Then everybody should be losing weight to run so much faster. Are they doing that? It makes it so simple. Forget bicarb, shoes or even drugs. Lose some fat. Actually, there are drugs that help do that.
This post was edited 1 minute after it was posted.
He is the best distance runner in the United States in the modern era, arguably ever, since we historically suck at distance on the world stage. Can we start naming major track meets after him. Give him his flowers now.
Crazy thing is he’s only 24, just entering his prime. I suspect that once his career is finished, he could well be considered the greatest American distance runner ever.
I haven’t been Hocker’s biggest fan because of some of his questionable racing tactics but he ran this perfectly. Saved ground which Jakob and others didn’t do, relaxed and let others pace, then unleashed his mighty kick. As much as the 1500 was a disaster for him, this race validates him as a multi event superstar. He’s still very young. I could see this guy winning a 1500/5k double at the next Olympics.
Absolutely fantastic. World class talent combined with great coaching and perfect periodization gets these results. 1500m gold in 3:27, 5000m gold in 12:58.
So no one else gets periodization or has great coaching? I think the Kenyans obviously do.
You can say peaking, but is there anyone in the world who peaks like Hocker? In 2024 he was soundly beaten all year until the 3:30 with a huge last lap at USAs, then he ran 3:27 in Paris and still had an enormous kick. None of his 1500m races before or since have been anywhere near that level. This year he only ran 12:57 off the back of his 7:23 and got dropped in his only DL 5k appearance, but today he closed a 12:58 in 52 to win gold.
Gault asked him what he does between USAs and Olympics/Worlds to improve so dramatically and he didn’t really answer the question.
The 12:57 pr was from a race that was run only to get the world standard for the 5k. It was a good effort, but still very conservatively run and didn’t seem to be his max effort.
HGHocker really is unstoppable. Still don’t know if it was a weak field or if he’s just that good now. Robinson getting 4th would point me to the fact it was weak. Would love to see him do this to the trio of Aregawi-Barega-Kejelcha even though they probably want to go the roads soon.
You forget he's only unstoppable once a year. The rest of the time he can't win a race that matters.
Stop whining old man.
He wins when it counts.
”He won only two races!”
Yeah, the Olympics and the World Championships.
”But what about the races he lost?”
You mean the ones nobody gives a 💩 about?
”Yeah, those.”
This post was edited 3 minutes after it was posted.
Yes. As the Brojos often argue, it’d be nice to have more meets that matter in Track and Field. But as it stands, we don’t. A Diamond League win only pays $20k, which is a pittance for someone like Cole Hocker.
A professional running career isn't just one race a year. But it would be to a doper. Genuine athletes try to win every time they compete. That's what sportsmen and women do. It isn't just about one cheque.
What is also implausible is that an athlete can be so uncommitted as to be mediocre throughout the year, win nothing, and then become the absolute best in the world in a global championship. It's like transitioning from being a dilettante or a journeyman to becoming the best on the planet overnight. Fake.
You’re making arguments about mindset that I don’t think especially correlate with performance. I know in my own work, I spend a lot of time on things I suck at as part of the learning process. But I just keep my head down, keep working, and keep getting better.
Needing to dominate year round is not champion mindset. Focus on the big picture, picking your spots, and being patient is.
Catching up and that was incredible. Pulling a 52 in a sub-13 race is remarkable. I thought pushing the pace to that level would drain the kick out of the fast closers buy all three medallists had what they needed in the last 150.
in truth, Hocker's 5 has looked better than his 15 all season but given what happened in Stockholm, I was skeptical he'd have the finish needed in this type of race. It's got me wondering how far he can go with this - could he still have the wheels in a 10000 with the right training? You could see him being the next Farah
Yes. As the Brojos often argue, it’d be nice to have more meets that matter in Track and Field. But as it stands, we don’t. A Diamond League win only pays $20k, which is a pittance for someone like Cole Hocker.
A professional running career isn't just one race a year. But it would be to a doper. Genuine athletes try to win every time they compete. That's what sportsmen and women do. It isn't just about one cheque.
What is also implausible is that an athlete can be so uncommitted as to be mediocre throughout the year, win nothing, and then become the absolute best in the world in a global championship. It's like transitioning from being a dilettante or a journeyman to becoming the best on the planet overnight. Fake.
Everybody loathes your presence here. Your comments are almost always incredibly annoying, whiny, illogical and obnoxious. You spend all day derailing and ruining countless threads with very low quality negativity. You won't get banned because you spark "engagement" but for your own sake you should look in the mirror and stop wasting what's left of your life. You're an endless stream of negativity and you enjoy it, why is that the case? It's beyond pathetic.
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