Geordie Beamish Wins Indoor 1500m Gold as Americans Cole Hocker and Hobbs Kessler Get Silver and Bronze

GLASGOW, Scotland – You can’t outkick Geordie Beamish.

Beamish of New Zealand and the On Athletics Club unleashed his kick on the final lap of the 1500 meters at the 2024 World Athletics Indoor Championships and went from eighth place to first during the final 200m to capture the gold medal in 3:36.54. Americans Cole Hocker and Hobbs Kessler earned silver and bronze respectively in 3:36.69 and 3:36.72.

Geordie Beamish wins world 1500m title (Kevin Morris photo)

In a field with an unwieldy 14 runners, the inexperienced Kessler seized the lead the first 100m and only gave it up just before the finish. As Kessler was leading the race throughout, guys behind him were jostling for position. The splits were honest but not fast — 58.90 at 400 and 1:57.19 at 800. As Kessler continued to run 58-second pace at the front, many of the guys behind him were jostling and trying get in position for when the kicking began at the bell.

2023 Worlds bronze medalist Narve Nordas made a move to get in third at the bell and Hocker tried to go wide to move up, but was only 5th at the bell. Meanwhile Beamish was only 8th on the rail. Kessler had saved his best running for the final lap and a 13.54 100m helped him hold off Portugal’s Isaac Nader to maintain the lead going into the final turn as Hocker went wide and was third heading into the homestretch. Beamish was only 5th as they hit the final straight, but his lethal kick was more than enough to give him gold as he closed in 26.11, including a final 100 of 12.78.

Race video, results and full analysis appear below.

(if you need a VPN to watch click here)

2024 World Indoor 1500m Final Results

*100m splits here

Quick Take: Beamish may have the best last 150 in the world, and now after getting up into triple digits in terms of mileage, he’s strong enough to use it

Two years ago when we spoke to Geordie Beamish at World Indoors, it stunned us how little he trained. He was taking two days off every week and a day off after every workout. He estimated that he was running 20-40 miles per week less than his competitors.

Beamish’s kick has always been lethal and he’s always been super confident in it. After finishing just 10th in the 3k final in Belgrade, he said he thought it was the type of race he could have won had his legs not been trashed from the prelims (though he later found out he also had COVID at the meet). He knew he had to get stronger and he has. Beamish told us tonight after winning gold that he took a chance at the end of 2023 and started running more — a lot more. He estimated his mileage is almost twice what it was two years ago. He said he ran 100 miles the week after Millrse.

And guess what? The kick is still there, now he’s strong enough, as shown by his 13:04 5000 and 8:05 2-mile this winter, to be in position to unleash it. 

As for tonight’s race, the race plan was simple.

“The plan before the race was was glue myself to Cole, I felt like, you know, I was in very similar fitness to him,” said Beamish, as both men had run 8:05 for 2 miles at Millrose. “I felt like our fitness levels were really similar, and I think we have to have two of the best, if not the best last 150s in the world. So I thought there was a good chance if it wasn’t fast that I’d have a shot.”

As for what’s next, Beamish said he’s going to return to the steeplechase for outdoors. When we asked how crazy is it to be the world 1500 champion when up until recently he’d be viewed as the 4th-best miler on the OAC, he responded by saying, “I think I’m probably still the fourth miler on my team. For sure, but yeah, you can still be world champion and have that title next to your name.”

Quick Take: Cole Hocker was pleased but not satisfied and thought tonight’s race was a valuable learning experience

Hocker was arguably the favorite for the gold medal going in and came just .15 away from the win. So while he was proud to have earned his first global medal at the age of 22, he could not help but think about what might have been.

“I’m not 100% satisfied after today but I’ll have to reflect on it a little bit more than 15 minutes after the race,” Hocker said. “It’s just how a race like that goes. It’s right in your grasp. It’s a world silver, no matter how you slice it, so I’m really happy as far as that goes. But I know I could have got gold if I maybe did some things a little different.”

Hocker was boxed in for much of the race and said that he was hoping to launch into his kick earlier than he did. He only managed to free himself on the home stretch of the penultimate lap, and even then he had to run the entire last lap in lane 2 as he passed people on his inside.

“[In an ideal world], I think I could have probably started winding it up 500-600 out,” Hocker said. “Get some open air. But easier said than done. I tried to do that today. I tried to do exactly that.”

Hocker knew that it would be tougher for him having to pass men and run extra distance on the final lap, but his kick was so good (26.53 last lap) that he was still able to pass all four men in front of him at the bell. The problem was Beamish, who was also forced to come from behind, had an even bigger kick and passed him in the dying meters.

Hocker felt that tonight’s race will benefit him in the long term as he was exposed to a different style of championship final. During Hocker’s breakout 2021 season, he wasn’t perfect tacticall,y but he was so much better than his collegiate opponents that it did not matter. And in his two previous global championship finals, Hocker’s strategy essentially boiled down to: run as fast as you can (he wound up PRing in both races, 3:31.40 at the 2021 Olympics and 3:30.70 at the 2023 Worlds). Tonight, Hocker had to worry more about tactics and positioning and he believes he will be more prepared the next time he is tested in that way.

Quick Take: In his first global final, Hobbs Kessler ran like a savvy veteran and almost pulled off a gold medal upset.

Kessler led virtually the entire race and nearly pulled off a big upset. Coming so close to victory stung a bit, but he was still happy to medal.

“I wanted to win and I was close, so I’d be lying if I (didn’t tell you) it stung. But I’m really happy with the things that I did right and and I’m feeling like I’m really headed in the right direction. But man, I was 20 meters or however it was to go (and in first) really looking at the line, really hoping that I can hang on. Those boys are good, great runners, and I have a lot of respect for him. But I’m in the game. I’ll be back,” said Kessler.

With 14 people in the field, Kessler said he thought there was a high probability someone would go down so he wanted to “stay out of trouble” and “kind of control it” from the front which is what he did.

Kessler also said that he’s been doing almost every workout with Bryce Hoppel, whom he called one of his best friends. 

“He’s a freak, like an absolute freak. He can do everything. He can do long strength workouts with me. And he can do incredible speed work. So he’s a great runner. I’m happy he’s not in the 15 because he’d be a weapon,” said Kessler.

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