The 1,500-meter final was stacked.
Great Britain's Josh Kerr and Norway's Jacob Ingebrigtsen were the two favorites for the race, but it was another American who came away with the victory.
Cole Hocker, who finished 10th overall in the semifinal, shocked the world with his late surge to win gold at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Only 12 of the 24 semifinal runners made the final.
WOW. 😱
— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) August 6, 2024
A STUNNING upset in the men’s 1500m as AMERICAN COLE HOCKER takes gold! #ParisOlympics pic.twitter.com/wlq81lbvSO
Hocker finished in 3:27.65, setting a new Olympic record and beating his own personal best by about three seconds. Ingebrigtsen set the previous Olympic record at the 2021 Tokyo Games.
The United States grabs yet another gold medal, this time by an unlikely hero. Here's all you need to know about Hocker.
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Who is Cole Hocker?
Hocker is a 23-year-old long-distance runner for the United States. He made his Olympics debut at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, finishing sixth in the 1,500-meter race with a time of 3:31.40.
While he made the finals in 2024, Hocker wasn't considered a favorite to medal in Paris. His teammate, Yared Nuguse, was more likely to take gold.
The 23-year-old from Indianapolis outdid Nuguse and Kerr in the final 100 meters. He beat Kerr, who placed second, by 0.14 seconds. Nuguse finished third by 0.01 seconds, giving the United States two runners on the podium.
Hocker is the first U.S. man to win the 1,500-meter since Matthew Centrowitz Jr. did so in 2016. It's also the first time the U.S. has had two runners on the podium since 1912.
MORE: How many medals does the United States have at the 2024 Paris Olympics?
Where did Cole Hocker go to college?
Hocker went to the University of Oregon, running for the university from 2019-21.
He won the mile and 3,000-meter NCAA championships during the 2021 indoor season, and he won the 1,500-meter NCAA championship in the 2021 outdoor season.
Hocker opted to leave the university to sign with Nike and become a professional runner in the fall of 2021. He made his professional debut at the Millrose Games in 2022.
The 23-year-old has run in the 800, 1,500, 3,000, and 5,000-meter races throughout his collegiate and professional career.