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Cole Hocker has looked back on his remarkable 2024 season reflecting on his Olympic triumph and Diamond League performances.
American middle-distance runner Cole Hocker has been riding high on an exceptional 2024 season capping off a year where he not only clinched Olympic gold in the 1500m but also delivered a series of strong performances in the Diamond League finals.
The 23-year-old runner secured third place in the men’s 1500m at the Brussels Diamond League finals, clocking an impressive 3:30.94.
Despite narrowly missing out on the win to Norway’s Jakob Ingebrigtsen and Kenya’s Timothy Cheruiyot, Hocker’s ability to stay competitive under mounting pressure has been a standout feature of his season.
Hocker burst onto the world stage with a gold-medal-winning performance at the 2024 Paris Olympics, where he clocked a sensational 3:27.65 in the men’s 1500m, setting a new Olympic record.
He outran pre-race favorites Josh Kerr and Jakob Ingebrigtsen, with Kerr taking silver in 3:27.79, a national record for Great Britain, and Ingebrigtsen finishing fourth in a surprising result.
Hocker's historic run immediately placed him among the elite in his sport, bringing new challenges along with his newfound fame.
“Yeah, absolutely. Quite literally overnight, I became the Olympic champion,” Hocker said after his third-place finish in Brussels.
“I think these three races were a test that I hadn't had in this sport before. I'm really happy with how I've managed that because, outside of the mental and physical fatigue of the Olympics and the high that comes with it, there is external pressure that, you know, I do the best job I can to limiting those, and I'm pretty good at it right now, but it's still pretty much impossible to ignore.”
The Olympic champion has remained grounded despite his recent successes, acknowledging that both external expectations and his own personal goals have driven him to maintain a high level of performance throughout the season.
While many athletes might have called it a season after such a triumphant Olympic outing, Hocker made the decision to continue competing.
“Even if you don't see anything, I know there's expectation on me. I have a lot of expectation on myself, and it would have been easy to say, ‘I've just had the season of my life, the best race I could ever ask for at the Olympics,’ and call it a season,” Hocker added.
Reflecting on his decision to keep competing after his Olympic win, Hocker explained why he chose to extend his season and pursue more Diamond League opportunities
“But I made the decision to stick with it and optimize this moment in my life because I know how valuable it is. I'm only going to be in this window once in my life. Of course, I hope I get the chance to defend this in four years, but it's such a unique time in my life that I wanted to keep it alive, keep the season alive, even though it was really hard," he said.
Hocker’s Diamond League season has been equally remarkable. He first appeared in the Prefontaine Classic, where he finished seventh in the men’s mile with a time of 3:48.95.
After his Olympic victory, Hocker competed in the Lausanne Diamond League, securing second place with a season-best 3:29.85. He followed that with another strong showing at the Zurich Diamond League, finishing third in 3:30.46, behind Yared Nuguse and Jakob Ingebrigtsen.
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