Who has the better close - Hocker or Kessler?

What? Did you watch the 1500?

I'm going with Hocker but that's not a knock on Kessler.

This originally said trials final. yoy made a mistake. Just watch the race then delete the thread.

It’ll be interesting to see.

Lots of people misunderstand what makes a good kicker, top end speed is a factor but it’s not the top end speed. It’s also having the endurance to get to 400/300/200/100 to go without your legs being lactic. After last nights performance, and the fact that his training partner is Hoppel, I’d bet that Kessler would smoke Hocker in an all out 200/400. The thing is that Hocker is pretty surprisingly strong over 5k right now, and probably feels better than Kessler does 1000m into a 3:3x type race. I think Hocker can Outkick Kessler 9/10 times, but if it’s 3:40+ pace up until the bell lap Kessler would win. 1:43 usually indicates at least 46-47 type 400m speed, that’s a huge deal.

Yeah I think Hocker’s a pure 1500m guy where he’s best at that distance and equally competent at 800m/5k. Hobbs is actually probably just as good at the 800m as the 15, I’m not sure he’s much faster than 13:20 in the 5k, so it’s just Hockers much fresher at the end of a race.

If I had to compare them to two other runners, I’d say Hocker is a lot like Lagat and Kessler is a lot like Cram if that makes sense

Hocker. Running a fast 800 doesn’t always translate to closing a 1500.

800 speed doesn't transfer to 1500m kick most times. Hocker has already proven who the superior kicker of the two, and he's done it many times.

I’m pretty sure Hocker can run 1:43.

No. He have raced 800m every year since 2021 and his best is 1.45.63 from this year. He is a sub 13 5000m runner not a sub 1.44 800m runner.

Is this the thread where you guys try to tell me our 3:43 miler is only our 3rd best Olympian in the 1500?

He runs them in a fashion that isn’t conducive to a fast time - going out slow, weaving through to win. Nuguse has done the same. It doesn’t feel like their maximal strategy for time, nor have they run them late in a season where they’d be sharpest. But Hocker obviously has the stronger kick in a 1500. He closed a 3:35 race in 12.2 which is sensational stuff.

He’s constantly passed guys with faster 800m PRs at the end of a 1500m, and has outkicked Kessler multiple times, in slower paced races.

Even though he managed a 1:50.6 in HS, his 1600m PR was only 4:07.

From what I have seen in the last week and even most races of this year, Hocker is way stronger than Kessler. The "calculated" times in the 800m dosent help.

I'd agree except I think Hocker might lean more towards the 5k than the 800, as I think Lagat did (World Champ in 5k, not that great at the 800 in comparison lol).

Kessler might have more to give in the 5k, he ran 7:39 in the 3k at age 19 and was pretty good at XC in HS for a 1500 guy that had only been running seriously for a year or two (I think he was as fast or faster than Fisher on the Michigan State course). He probably just hasn't gotten enough miles in him to be really good at the 5k yet. It's hard to know if he ever will though. I remember an interview from earlier this year where he said he never ran more than 7 or 8 miles at once or something because his legs would feel bad.

In a 3:38 race I think I'd have Kessler on top. Indoor WCs was like 3:36 iirc and Kessler led for like 1490m and Hocker just barely beat him.

Right now Hocker has the better gear ratio but Hobbs is likely just as fast.

If you look at body type and conditioning i think they both have quite a way to go until we know their full potential.

Hocker has almost zero upper body muscle tone relative to his competitors and Hobbs still has that baby fat look although he certainly has quite a bit of upper body strength from climbing.

if you look at how Kerr changed his overall body composition to become world champ in 2023 both of these guys could become world all time greats when they decide to put it all together later in their careers.

I think they are a bit different.

Since he made a big splash onto the scene a few years ago, Hocker has been known for an uncanny ability to upshift almost immediately, and then try to hold top pace for some period of time/distance at the end of the race.

Kessler is continuing to develop what works for him, and he said in his post race interview on national tv that he has learned this year to continue to successively go up the gears over some closing distance, rather than punch it all at once.

Both great runner but Hocker is a truly exceptional closer. He's a bit like Robby Andrews only a much better/stronger runner overall.

Kessler is the real deal, but we knew that going back to his 3:57.66i mark before he turned 18 (a month later). We were certain of his talent when he ran 3:34.36 as an 18 yr old.

No one could have seen the 1:43.71 coming this soon, but the talent has always been there.

Hocker barely just beat him at World Indoors because he got stuck running extra and wasting energy with the chaos in the bigger field (and indoor noobs like Nordas and Mehary). We’ve seen Hocker close 3:35-3:38 races in college and it’s his strong suit. Kessler meanwhile we’ve seen struggle in those sort of races. Just because Hobbs has phenomenal 800m speed doesn’t mean he’s got the same gear shift/max speed. It’s a different part of the skillset.

It doesn’t matter. Jakob made 1.43 habz and 1.44 gourley look slow as hell in the last 100m of euro champs 1500m. 800m potential and being able to run 25 high at the end of a 1500m is not the same