WTW: Is Cooper Teare the US 1500 favorite right now?

I dont think so. In a fast race I would take Teare, but is he willing to push from the front to make it that way? I think once they sharpen up, Hockers kick will be better than Teares like last year, which is tough to overcome in a championship race.

No. Teare is the understudy until he's not. Thats just the way it works.

Hocker is the favorite, but Teare is in great position to finish 2nd.

Copper Teare would need to beat Matty “Steal Your Girl” Centrowitz to become the favorite. Good luck with that, Teare may as well kiss both goodbye!

It mildly gratifies me that we're having this conversation, since I've been telling fellow track nerds for over a year that Cooper Teare needs to focus on the 1500. It's a clearer path to the team for him right now, his 3:50 indoor miles and solo 3:53 relay mile are better efforts than any 5000 he's run, and his ability to push the pace is an asset in the new era of 1500 running. As you say, I'd take Hocker in any race that turned tactical due to his lethal kick and greater experience running rounds in the event; however, even championship men's 1500s these days often become strength-based time trials. These are the races Teare was born for, and there aren't three men in America right now who can beat him even if it does turn into a sit-and-kick affair. The same isn't true of the men's 5000, where last year's Olympians will be favored again, and Teare will also have to reckon with a Joe Klecker or an Emmanuel Bor on their A game. In any case, I feel like I was ahead of the curve on anticipating the 1500 being his better chance of a US team (even if that's not the hottest take in town).

Hocker’s the favorite, Teare’s probably #2, Nuguse is being unfairly discounted, and Centro is very much TBD.

It almost seems like a weak era compared with the 2009-2015 days of Centro/Manzano/Lagat/Lomong/Wheating, but more likely that era had less depth, so the favorites were more obvious. I could see two Americans (namely Hocker and Teare) running under 3:31 this season, which has never once happened before.

Hocker is by far the favorite. Nuguse and Centro will both be absent.

I don't think Hocker is 0-4 against Hocker - a little mistake in the excellent WTW.

"1. Cole Hocker – Has been running very well and won US
indoor titles in the 1500 & 3000. But he is 0-4 against Hocker in
1500/mile races, including their AR attempt in Chicago on February 11."

Nuguse? Didn't Nuguse just get destroyed in a race that didn't even include Teare and Hocker? He doesn't look to be any factor this year.

I was going to say Guse ran a sub 7:40 3k this year, but then again that was basically a solo effort like his fast 1500 last year. It seems when Nuguse has to bump against other good runners he is too fragile and gets thrown off his game. Great at time trials.

Nuguse made the Olympic team and has won an NCAA title. I think he's shown he can race, not just time trial.

Let’s put it this way, if the pack comes through 1100m in 2:42 or slower, Hocker wins. I don’t remember the last time a US 1500m race went faster than that through 1100m. A 1500m time trial is so much different than a 1500m RACE.

Everyone always overlooks Cooper Teare. He would have won the 1500 indoors if he did not have Covid. Hocker barely beat Thompson closing in 26.69 for his last 200. Hocker won with a 3:39 (same result as Colin Sahlman this week).

Hocker has the most potential of all of our 1500 guys but right now Copper Teare is the better runner. Cooper Teare in 2022 is more focused than Cole Hocker in 2022. Hocker is riding on his name this year. His 3k and 1500 wins are great but tainted because of the lack of competition. He beat Hillary Bor for his 3K title (snooze).

The biggest crime by far is Jakob Ingebrigtsen coming to the states and NOT racing Grant Fisher. I would pay serious cash to see Fisher vs Jakob Ingebrigtsen in a 5000. Yet Grant runs a 10K while Jacob runs against NAU.

Being a track fan sucks sometimes.

I don’t think Nuguse can beat Hocker or Teare this year but as far as favorites to make the U.S. team, he is my #3. Nuguse was 6th in his outdoor season opener against a bunch of 3:33-35 guys, splitting 46.38-61.11-58.09-53.72 for his 3:39.29. I have little doubt that he’s in 3:35 shape now, maybe better, and we’re still 6+ weeks out from USAs. None of the 5 guys who beat him on Friday will be at USAs—they were all foreigners. He beat Prakel and Ciattei, who were both finalists in last year’s OT 1500. Only a fool would assume Nuguse can’t live up to the standard he’s repeatedly achieved come USAs at the end of June.

What about Hobbs Kessler?

Maybe in 2024, not in 2022

This is fair. He didn't really past the eyes test in that race, but he is very talented and has time. In a vacuum it was an OK performance, and it's not like we've seen much from Engels, Alexander or Centro aka the other would-be contenders. The two best NCAA contenders are a Spaniard and Kenyan. So it's wide open for Nuguse if he can get back to last year's form.

Didn't Hocker lose to Teare in their NCAA mile record race at Arkansas?

Yes. He was calling out the grammar mistake where Letsrun said that Hocker is 0-4 against Hocker.