To reiterate a point from earlier, Hocker SHOULD take this up. He has a 95% chance of winning, and there is money to be made for both Hocker and Kerley. Both guys come out way ahead.
Neither of them will be making a ton after running, so this is good for both of them.
Someone needs to talk some sense into Hocker! Take a $100K appearance fee for a 75 second race.
Kerly doesn’t realize that’s he no longer doing the kind of work required for a 600m. He’s all in on 100m and even his 200m has suffered.
Hocker needs to accept the challenge he made. 600m is middle distance running, not sprinting. No way Kerly wins this.
Why are you making things up? You are obviously uninformed.
Kerley talks all about his plans for 2024-2025 in an hour-long interview with Justin Gatlin's podcast, and it is very clear he is still attending to speed endurance in a major way.
His 200 suffered in 2024 because his ankle was injured and he could barely run the bend safely.
I am shaking my head at the stupidity here.
Finally, why is Hocker going after a guy who has come down from the 400 to the 100?? Why not Rai Benjamin, who would CRUSH him at 600m? It makes Hocker look like a coward to cherrypick like this.
Finally, why is Hocker going after a guy who has come down from the 400 to the 100?? Why not Rai Benjamin, who would CRUSH him at 600m? It makes Hocker look like a coward to cherrypick like this.
Again, what is with Hocker's weird beef here.
Kerley pumped him up on socials and called him the "man of the night" at the Olympics.
Rai B. is likely the best 600m runner in the world, and a much different athlete to Kerly.
Nobody except Fred’s inner circle knows what Fred is doing in training. On his IG account it seems he’s training for baseball.
Kudos for Fred accepting the challenge though. Hocker needs to step up.
Hocker would likely beat him over 600m though. Hocker is likely a 47. 400m runner. He certainly can string three 25 second 200m splits or better together, giving him a 1:15 or better.
Reading Hocker's comments on this, he seems extremely clued out:
“I think the 600m plays, I think I would win that, I think that’s strength. That’s fair to say but obviously, he would beat me easily in a 400m, so I’m thinking somewhere in the 500m. However, Fred might still have it in the 500m. “Maybe I’m giving myself the benefit of the doubt in the 600m even but after the 400m, it turns to strength, like distance strength and he is going to gap me by like 20m and then I’m going to come back.”
The fact he says Kerley "might" have it in the 500m reveals just how out of it Hocker is.
Kerley has a 43.6 400. Call it 44.
Hocker's coach says he can't even break 50 in a 400. The fastest 4x400 Hocker has ever been on was a pathetic 3:20, which should tell you something. That's an average of 50s per leg, and we know very well he wasn't on the fast side of the average.
Do you understand how far apart that is? 6 seconds is more like 50 meters than 20.
Has Hocker even raced a 600? It absolutely does NOT "turn to distance strength." Someone tell this kid to go watch a Duane Solomon, Johnny Gray or David Rudisha video before he embarrasses himself more than he already has.
His 800 PR is total trash compared to his mile, 1:44.6, which is normal for a 1500/5000 distance runner but does not bode well for the 600. 🤣
Reading Hocker's comments on this, he seems extremely clued out:
“I think the 600m plays, I think I would win that, I think that’s strength. That’s fair to say but obviously, he would beat me easily in a 400m, so I’m thinking somewhere in the 500m. However, Fred might still have it in the 500m. “Maybe I’m giving myself the benefit of the doubt in the 600m even but after the 400m, it turns to strength, like distance strength and he is going to gap me by like 20m and then I’m going to come back.”
The fact he says Kerley "might" have it in the 500m reveals just how out of it Hocker is.
Kerley has a 43.6 400. Call it 44.
Hocker's coach says he can't even break 50 in a 400. The fastest 4x400 Hocker has ever been on was a pathetic 3:20, which should tell you something. That's an average of 50s per leg, and we know very well he wasn't on the fast side of the average.
Do you understand how far apart that is? 6 seconds is more like 50 meters than 20.
Has Hocker even raced a 600? It absolutely does NOT "turn to distance strength." Someone tell this kid to go watch a Duane Solomon, Johnny Gray or David Rudisha video before he embarrasses himself more than he already has.
His 800 PR is total trash compared to his mile, 1:44.6, which is normal for a 1500/5000 distance runner but does not bode well for the 600. 🤣
Uhh are you thinking of Fisher's coach saying that about the 400? Hocker can absolutely, no doubt about it, run sub 50. In fact, it looks like DID. last May he paced 3 races and then split sub 49!
This post was edited 8 minutes after it was posted.
Uhh are you thinking of Fisher's coach saying that about the 400? Hocker can absolutely, no doubt about it, run sub 50. In fact, it looks like DID. last May he paced 3 races and then split sub 49!
Hahaha my bad.
But my point stands.
His comments show ignorance of the 600m distance as run at a high level -- probably because he has never run a 400 or 600 at a high level. (He has barely run the 800 at a high level, squeaking under 1:46 once in lots of attempts losing 800 races over his career.)
If you know the 600, this isn't even a debate.
19.7 / 43.6 long sprinter vs 1:45 / 3:27 / 3:48 miler in the 600m??
The fact that a sprinter is willing to do a ROAD RACE against a guy who actually trains a lot on roads should tell you something.😆😆😆
I’m not sure why this got downvoted, Hocker won the most competitive Olympic 1500m final in history, but somehow an exhibition race against a sprinter means something? You guys must be really fired up over the Tyson/Paul fight on Friday.
Because they are totally separate issues and only related by the act of running which isn't surprising given both are professional runners. He won the Olympic 1500, Kerley won the World 100m title - not relevant.
Hocker put it out there and Kerley called his bluff. No he isn't obligated to do it but the point remains, it's pretty lame to get all fired up in an interview and run your mouth and then back down. But he's only 23 and we've all been there so a good growth moment.
As for who would win? I think he would. He has 1.44 800m ability so over 600m I think is firmly in that 1.17.0 range give or take a few tenths over 600m. I highly doubt Fred Kerley could compare to this - especially now.
This post was edited 2 minutes after it was posted.
Finally, why is Hocker going after a guy who has come down from the 400 to the 100?? Why not Rai Benjamin, who would CRUSH him at 600m? It makes Hocker look like a coward to cherrypick like this.
Again, what is with Hocker's weird beef here.
Kerley pumped him up on socials and called him the "man of the night" at the Olympics.
Did you watch the interview? The journalist SPECIFICALLY asked about Fred Kerley, no one else. Hocker gave a very humble answer, even saying at 600m he might be giving himself too much credit. And the question was asked, where do you think you tie, not where do you win? I think hes pretty close here. Instinctually Hocker is trying to pick out and actual distance that has competition. He could have said 700m, but its not an official distance in any way.
Did you watch the interview? The journalist SPECIFICALLY asked about Fred Kerley, no one else. Hocker gave a very humble answer, even saying at 600m he might be giving himself too much credit. And the question was asked, where do you think you tie, not where do you win? I think hes pretty close here. Instinctually Hocker is trying to pick out and actual distance that has competition. He could have said 700m, but it’s not an official distance in any way.
I might be missing the part where Hocker has outright refused to do a 600 vs Kerley. The Kerley ask for a street race makes me question how serious he is as it makes scheduling the race more challenging and the race less if a spectacle. 2 laps of a packed indoors 300m track or a 400m outdoor track would be best if Fred is out on a 200m track race. If Nike, who sponsors both athletes, has a straight, flat piece of road on campus like adidas does for it’s Road to Records event that could suffice too. This race would be fun and the exchange seems fine to me so far, and if this becomes a side event a la Mondo vs Warholm that’d be cool.
Finally, why is Hocker going after a guy who has come down from the 400 to the 100?? Why not Rai Benjamin, who would CRUSH him at 600m? It makes Hocker look like a coward to cherrypick like this.
Again, what is with Hocker's weird beef here.
Kerley pumped him up on socials and called him the "man of the night" at the Olympics.
Did anyone actually watch the video? The interviewer asked him, if you were racing Fred kerley, what distance would you tie him in. hocker landed on 600m. Hockey didn’t go out if his way to target Kerley. this is gst building rivalries in the league.
thanks for posting the video source.
where did Kerley reply? wheres the content on the challenge and the 100k? Thanks!!
Kerly doesn’t realize that’s he no longer doing the kind of work required for a 600m. He’s all in on 100m and even his 200m has suffered.
Hocker needs to accept the challenge he made. 600m is middle distance running, not sprinting. No way Kerly wins this.
Yep, when Kerley was doing exclusively 400m training, he might have had a chance to beat Hocker at 600m. Now there is no chance with his racing focused on 100m. They'd probably have to meet at 500m currently for it to be an even race.