EUGENE, Ore. – Cole Hocker will be competing in the Olympics again, this time with a shot at a gold medal.
The Cathedral High School graduate broke the U.S. Olympic Trials record in the 1,500 meters, taking the lead from the 250 meter mark and finishing in an impressive time of 3 minutes, 50.59 seconds.
Notre Dame graduate Yared Nguse took second in 3:30.86 and 20-year-old Hobbs Kessler took third in 3:31.53.
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Hocker's time was a personal best and bettered the time he set when he placed sixth at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics.
All eight finishers ran under the trials record of 3 minutes 34.09 seconds, set by Matthew Centrowitz in 2016 when he won gold in Rio de Janeiro.
Nuguse has won every matchup against Hocker since the 2021 Olympic Trials, going 6-0, including three races at Hayward Field. In 2021, Hocker beat Nuguse at the Trials and NCAA Championships.
They never faced each other in 2022 as both were dealing with injuries.
At the Trials, Hocker won his first-round heat in 3:34.54, just shy of the Trials record, and then slipped between the rails to win his semi-final in 3:37.89.
Nuguse placed second in the semifinals with a time of 3:37.61 and won the semifinals with a time of 3:34.09, tying the Centrowitz record.
Hocker won silver in the 1,500 meters at the World Indoor Championships in March.
Contact IndyStar correspondent David Woods at dwoods1411@gmail.com and follow him on Twitter @DavidWoods007.
