Paris (CNN) — Earlier Paris Olympics, particularly, the men’s 1,500-meter surprised many ending in a shocking victory for USA’s Cole Hocker. Ja Kiplimo’s victory startled spectators Evgeny and Ingebrigtsen’s, the race was expected to be fought between the reigning Olympic champion Jakob Ingebrigtsen and world champion Josh Kerr.
Hocker produced an awesome burst in the last few meters of the race to finish in 3:27; an Olympic record that was good enough for gold. 65. Kerr of Great Britain took the silver in 3:27. 79; second was compatriot Phil Roy junior and third was Yared Nuguse an American who crossed the line a mere hundredth of a second behind Kerr.
A sad story of the home stretch was Norway’s Ingebrigtsen, who led the race for most of the time but ended up fourth and did not secure a medal. As the games progressed Hocker was described as having the biggest upset of them all, the win was their testimony to strategy sprint and dedication.
”Oh, that is quite incredible I must say,” said Hocker, who is from Indiana. “It was like I was taken by the stadium and God. My body did the rest and my mind was all present when I saw that finish line. Gold was my year’s plan. I wrote it down and even if doubted it, said the words out loud.
At first, what had happened is that Ingebrigtsen remained the leader of the race followed closely by Kerr. It looked like Kerr was on his way to victory as he overtook the Norwegian in the last one hundred meters. But Hocker quickly moved up the inside to make a burst for home in a magnificent timed run of perfect tactics, thus the second American in the last three Olympics to win the 1,500-meter race, succeeded by Matthew Centrowitz in the just-ended 2016 Olympics.
Nuguse’s bronze also set with his record demonstrated the fact that in the modern Olympic history of the United States, there were two men on the 1,500-meter award platform. This was a great performance of American middle-distance running where both Hocker and Nuguse recorded a personal season’s best of two. 987 of a second.
Said Olympic 100-meter champion Noah Lyles, “Cole Hocker, you got me screaming my head off,” while Hocker was jubilant on X.
Kerr said he was pleased to have gained a silver medal and a British record although he did not win gold. Out of his performance, he remarked that he was proud of the performance put out there today. I had driven the quickest that I possibly could—by two seconds and several tenths. Today, it was insufficient. That is athletics. I did quite well and I am as ready as I can be.
Despite all the preparation that Ingebrigtsen made, the use of the wrong strategy of too fast Start cost him an opportunity to gain a medal. Looking back at the race he said that he made a tactical mistake but when it comes to the 5,000 meters, there is no other person that has world titles on the track.
“Of course, it is a strategic mistake that I cannot slow down in the first 800,” Ingebrigtsen said. “But I think you saw on the back straight with probably 50, 60 meters to go, they were opening a little bit of a gap. I tried to respond by going just a little bit too much on the gas and it was just 100 meters too much today. ”
The lift of Hocker and spectacular off-track achievements of Aidan Kerr and Marvel Nuggets made the men’s 1,500-meter race not only memorable but terrific on the Olympic stage in Paris.
