Cole Hocker

Last updated

Cole Hocker
Cropped HockerNur HuskyInvite2020.png
Hocker at the Husky Invite in 2020
Personal information
Born (2001-06-06) June 6, 2001 (age 23)
Indianapolis , Indiana
Education Cathedral High School
University of Oregon
Sport
CountryUnited States
Sport Track and field
Event(s) 800 m, 1500 m, mile, 3000 m, 5000 m
College team Oregon Ducks
Team Nike
Turned pro2021
Coached byBen Thomas
Achievements and titles
Olympic finals
  • 2020 Tokyo
  • 1500 m, 6th
Personal bests
Medal record
Men's track and field
Representing the Flag of the United States (23px).png  United States
World Indoor Championships
Silver medal icon (S initial).svg 2024 Glasgow 1500 m

Cole Hocker (born June 6, 2001) is an American middle and long-distance runner. He holds multiple national titles in annual competitions organized by USA Track & Field, including three titles in the 1500 meters and one title in the 3000 meters. In March 2024, he won a silver medal in the 1500 m at the 2024 World Athletics Indoor Championships in Glasgow. Hocker also placed sixth in the 1500 m at the 2020 Summer Games in Tokyo and seventh at the 2023 World Championships in Budapest.

Contents

In high school, Hocker won several high-level competitions, including the Foot Locker Cross Country Championships in 2018. Beginning in 2019, he competed collegiately for the University of Oregon, where he won four NCAA titles. [2] Hocker announced in 2021 that he would forgo his remaining NCAA eligibility to run professionally, signing to run under Nike. [3]

Background and youth sports

Hocker grew up in Indianapolis, Indiana and began running competitively at a young age, recording a time of 4:36 in the mile as an eighth grader. [4] He attended Cathedral High School, where he won multiple state- and national-level races. He was second in the 2017 IHSAA Cross Country State Finals & won in '18. He finished second at the 2018 Nike Cross Nationals, and he won the 2018 Foot Locker Cross Country Championships. [5] For college, he chose the University of Oregon over offers from many other schools, including Northern Arizona University and Indiana University. [6]

Collegiate competition

Hocker (right) competes for the Oregon Ducks in 2020. Arkansas Invite Stanford Track and field.jpg
Hocker (right) competes for the Oregon Ducks in 2020.

Hocker ran for the Oregon Ducks from 2019 to 2021. At the 2021 NCAA Division I Indoor Track and Field Championships, he won the mile in 3:53.71 and the 3000 metres in 7:46.15. [7] Earlier that year, he ran a personal best of 3:50.55 in the mile on February 12, 2021, finishing in a close second to teammate Cooper Teare at a meet at the Randal Tyson Track Center. The two set the seventh and eighth all-time fastest performances for the indoor mile.

At the 2021 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships, he won the 1500 metres in a time of 3:35.35, outkicking NCAA record holder Yared Nuguse. He also finished 4th in the 5000 metres in a time of 13:18.95. [8] At the 2020 United States Olympic Trials, Hocker won the 1500 m final ahead of Matthew Centrowitz and Yared Nuguse. Hocker did not have the Olympic qualifying time, however he qualified for the games based on his world ranking position. [9]

At the 2020 Olympic Games, Hocker placed 6th in the 1500 metre event with a time of 3:31.40, setting a new personal best. His time was under the Olympic Record set 2 days prior in the semifinals by Abel Kipsang of Kenya. Hocker qualified for the semifinals by running 3:36.16 for 4th in his heat. Hocker then ran 3:33.87, his then personal best, for 2nd in his semifinal to qualify for the final. [10]

Senior competition

2021

On September 13, 2021, Hocker announced his decision to turn professional, forgoing his further participation on the University of Oregon team. [11] Hocker became a Nike-sponsored athlete, and continues to be based in Oregon training under coach Ben Thomas. [12] Hocker made his professional debut at the 2022 Millrose Games, where he competed in the 3,000 meter race. He ran a personal record of 7:39.83, placing third behind Geordie Beamish and teammate Cooper Teare. [13] Two weeks later at Gately Park in Chicago, in a bid for the American indoor mile record of 3:49.98, Teare and Hocker ran personal bests of 3:50.17 and 3:50.35 to place first and second. [14]

2022

At the 2022 USA Indoor Track and Field Championships in Spokane, Washington, Hocker doubled in the 1,500 meter and 3,000 meter events. He earned his second and third national titles, running a meet record time of 3:39.09 in the 1500m. [15] However, he opted out of the 2022 World Athletics Indoor Championships in Belgrade, turning his focus instead to the outdoor championships in July. [16] An injury at the US National Track and Field championships in June 2022, prevented him from qualifying in the 1500 m for the World Outdoor Championships. [17]

2023

Hocker finished third at the 2023 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships, qualifying him for the 2023 World Athletics Championships in Budapest. [18] He placed 7th at the world championship final, en route to a new personal best of 3:30.7. [19] In September 2023, Hocker competed in the mile of the Diamond League final at the Perfontaine Classic. He had did not have enough Diamond League points to qualify, but the meet organizers entered him as a national wildcard, [20] based on a rule that allows the host nation to enter an athlete who is of adequate standing in each event. [21] In the race, Hocker finished sixth in a personal best of 3:48.08, [22] the fourth fastest time ever run by an American in the mile. [23]

2024

In February, Hocker ran 8:05.70 in the indoor 2-mile at the Millrose Games. [24] He finished third, behind compatriot Grant Fisher, who broke the American record in the event, and Scotsman Josh Kerr, who broke the world record. Hocker's time was also under the previous American record of 8:07.41 held by Galen Rupp. That same month, Hocker won a national title in the 1500 m at the 2024 USA Indoor Track and Field Championships, setting a meeting record in 3:37.51. [25] In March, he won a silver medal for the United States in the 1500 m at the 2024 World Athletics Indoor Championships in Glasgow, his first finish on the podium at a global competition. [26] In May, Hocker hit the Olympic qualifying standard in the 5000 m by running a personal best of 12:58.82 at the Los Angles Grand Prix. [27]

Achievements

All statistics from athlete's profile on World Athletics. [1]

Personal bests

SurfaceEventTimeDateVenue
Outdoor track800m1:46.39May 16, 2021 Katherine B. Loker Stadium, Los Angeles, United States
1500m3:30.70August 23, 2023Nemzeti Atlétikai Központ, Budapest, Hungary
One mile3:48.08September 16, 2023 Hayward Field, Eugene, United States
3000m7:42.93August 5, 2023AtletiekArena Gaston Roelants Kessel-Lo / Hal 5, Leuven, Belgium
5000m12:58.82May 17, 2024USATF Los Angeles Grand Prix, Los Angeles, United States
Indoor track800m1:48.44February 13, 2021 Randal Tyson Indoor Center, Fayetteville, United States
1500m3:36.69March 4, 2024 2024 World Athletics Indoor Championships, Glasgow, Scotland
One mile3:50.35February 11, 2022Gately Indoor TF Center, Chicago, United States
3000m7:39.83January 29, 2022 Armory Track & Field Center, New York, United States
Two mile8:05.70February 11, 2024 Armory Track & Field Center, New York, United States
RoadOne mile road [note 1] 4:08.0hJune 6, 2019 Indianapolis, United States

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Major championships

Representing Flag of the United States.svg USA
YearCompetitionVenuePositionEventTime
2021 Olympic Games National Stadium, Tokyo, Japan6th1500m3:31.40
2023 World Championships Nemzeti Atlétikai Központ, Budapest, Hungary7th1500m3:30.70
2024 World Indoor Championships Commonwealth Arena, Glasgow, ScotlandSilver medal icon.svg1500m3:36.69

Notes:

  1. Hocker ran 3:51.00 on the road at the 2022 New Balance 5th Avenue Mile on September 11, 2022, which is not listed on his World Athletics profile. Source Archived December 3, 2022, at the Wayback Machine

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References

  1. 1 2 3 Cole Hocker at World Athletics
  2. Cole Hocker profile at TFRRS
  3. "Cathedral's Cole Hocker leaves Oregon track team to turn pro at age 20". Archived from the original on September 21, 2021. Retrieved November 16, 2021.
  4. Woods, David (August 1, 2021). "Cole Hocker runs from obscurity to breakout career; now he'll be tested on ultimate stage". The Indianapolis Star. Archived from the original on February 19, 2024. Retrieved February 19, 2024.
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