Good interview. he said that he didn’t have a lot of confidence going into it, and said he would be happy if he ran under 3:39. Well he crushed that and now his confidence has grown significantly!
I really like how he carries himself in an interview, he seems so confident.
When running on "Pure Hate" one must hate the thought of not performing at one's best, hate the word losing(along with all of its negative manifestations), hate the thought of injuries, hate the voice in one head prompted by demons to discourage and defeat one's joy, and mostly hate the ideal of not being able to run and compete for the purpose of amplifying and communicating the Glory of God.
Rojo: "As Hocker is back as he didn't win as he went from 12th to 2nd in the last lap as he ran the fastest last lap of the field by far as he ran 55 seconds as that was a faster last lap than anyone else as he didn't win he got second as he's BACK."
Why so much hate for Centro? Is it the way of today’s youth to be disrespectful? I don’t get it. The guy is an Olympic champion. I think he deserves better.
Why so much hate for Centro? Is it the way of today’s youth to be disrespectful? I don’t get it. The guy is an Olympic champion. I think he deserves better.
Not being disrespectful towards Centro, quite the contrary. He already had a storied career and anything else he does is the cherry on top.
I was just pointing out the Hocker is pretty good at outkicking Cooper and Yared and could spoil their fun
I believe Hocker has only beaten / out kicked Teare once. They’ve raced countless times with Teare having an almost perfect record against Cole.
Was it really that incredible? Woods just ran 54 at the end of a 5000
Fair question, but kicking in a 1,500 and 5,000 are different challenges.
At shorter distances, you're using your kick resources (what physiologists call W') throughout pretty much the entire race. That's why elite 800 races are virtually always positive split. And it's why 1,500 races that are anywhere near PR pace don't tend to have super-fast last laps. (You could argue that 3:34 isn't "super-fast" on the global scene, but for Hocker returning after prolonged injury, the assumption was that anything in the mid 3:30s would be close to max. The fact that he was able to kick off that pace is encouraging.)
For longer races starting with 5000, much of the race is run fairly close to (i.e. just above) critical speed, unless there are lots of surges. That allows you to get to the last laps without depleting W', so the kick tends to be pretty close to what the same runners would be able to produce in shorter races. I.e. it's unlikely that Kincaid would be closing a 3:34 1,500 faster than 54, even though he just did it while PRing in the 5,000. Remember Bernard Lagat, pre-super spikes, closing a 12:59 race over Bekele in 52?
To be fair, what made Hocker so good in 2021 wasn't necessarily his last 400 splits, but rather his multiple gear changes in the last 150 or so. I haven't watched the new race, so have no idea what he looked like. But if he can get that back, combined with low-3:30s fitness, he'll be in a good position to do well in championship races this summer.
Why so much hate for Centro? Is it the way of today’s youth to be disrespectful? I don’t get it. The guy is an Olympic champion. I think he deserves better.
There does seem to be this all out assault on him. Its a weird wiring. Who did he hurt?
I believe Hocker has only beaten / out kicked Teare once. They’ve raced countless times with Teare having an almost perfect record against Cole.
Hocker has beaten Teare 5 times. Mile at Pre Classic in 2022, 3,000m NCAAs 2021, 800m Tyson Invitational 2021, 5,000m Oregon Relays 2021, 5,000m PAC-12 2021
When on form, Hocker has always beat Teare. Teare is typically closer to his top fitness full time compared to Hocker though. At this moment (6/5/23): Naguse>Kessler=Hocker>Teare...then all the rest
Why so much hate for Centro? Is it the way of today’s youth to be disrespectful? I don’t get it. The guy is an Olympic champion. I think he deserves better.
There does seem to be this all out assault on him. Its a weird wiring. Who did he hurt?
Hocker has beaten Teare 5 times. Mile at Pre Classic in 2022, 3,000m NCAAs 2021, 800m Tyson Invitational 2021, 5,000m Oregon Relays 2021, 5,000m PAC-12 2021
When on form, Hocker has always beat Teare. Teare is typically closer to his top fitness full time compared to Hocker though. At this moment (6/5/23): Naguse>Kessler=Hocker>Teare...then all the rest
I know that it's commonly held that Hocker might be a bit better than Teare, but the results do not support it. Teare is 5-1 against Hocker in the 1500/mile. Hocker's only victory over Teare at those distances is when he got 5th and Teare got 6th in the 2022 Prefontaine Classic. At various distances
800: 1-0 Hocker
1500/Mile: 5-1 Teare
3000: 3-1 Teare
5000: 2-2 Tie
Overall: 10-5 Teare
Can't chalk that record up to Hocker being off form every loss.
Why so much hate for Centro? Is it the way of today’s youth to be disrespectful? I don’t get it. The guy is an Olympic champion. I think he deserves better.
Exactly and he's improving steadily. He ran 3:50 in 2016, now 3:38, another 12 seconds and he can challenge Jakob and the WR.
I know that it's commonly held that Hocker might be a bit better than Teare, but the results do not support it. Teare is 5-1 against Hocker in the 1500/mile... Can't chalk that record up to Hocker being off form every loss.
Point taken, but context matters. Teare's victories in the 1500/mile are:
Boston University Last Chance Invitational 28 FEB 2020 Tyson Invitational 12 FEB 2021 F The Badgers Windy City Invitational 11 FEB 2022
Oregon Twilight 07 MAY 2021 F3
He also won the Oregon Twilight in 2022 where Hocker DNF'd. The point is that none of these meets matter. If you're comparing runners, it takes a whole pile of Windy City Invitationals, last chance meets, and early spring twilights to trade up for an Olympic final run.