An American long-distance runner who stunned the sports world by winning a gold medal in the 1500-meter run in Paris on Tuesday said his faith in God guided him down the stretch. Cole Hocker of the United States shocked the favorites to win the men’s 1500 in a personal best and Olympic record time of 3 minutes, 27.65 seconds, passing Jakob Ingebrigtsen of Norway and then Josh Kerr of Great Britain in the final 100 meters to cross the finish line first.
The pre-race hype focused solely on the rivalry between defending Olympic champion Ingebrigtsen and 2023 world champion Kerr, allowing Hocker to overshadow both in front of a roaring crowd. Kerr won silver, while American Yared Nuguse took bronze.
It was the race of his life for Hocker, who finished sixth at the Tokyo Games and seventh at the 2023 World Championship.
“I just saw, obviously, Kerr and Ingebrigtsen just battling, kind of having their own battle. And I knew that in my head, that they were so focused on each other,” Hocker told NBC.
Needing a lane to pass, Hocker finally found one to Ingebrigtsen’s left.
“It opened up. And I just let God carry me through the finish line,” he said.
Crossing the finish line, “I just had the vivid thought of how my life just changed, and I can’t even process that right now,” he said.
He is the fourth American ever to win gold in the 1500. The Associated Press labeled it the “upset of the Games.”
OH MY, COLE HOCKER 😱
— Team USA (@TeamUSA) August 6, 2024
He pulls off the upset in the 1500m in Olympic record time!
📺: @NBCOlympics & @peacock #ParisOlympics
pic.twitter.com/6LK9PkRSMJ
A product of the University of Oregon, Hocker told The Criterion newspaper in 2021 that “the reason I run is because I have a God-given talent.”
“I just feel God has given me the gift of running, and my job is to give it my best,” he said. “On top of that, because I’ve been given that, I want to take advantage of it. And it’s more gratifying because of how hard I have worked.”
Hocker is vocal about his faith on social media. Last fall, he posted a Bible verse on his Instagram account.
“‘Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything’ James 1:2-4. ... Walking away from this year proud of what I’ve done and aware of what I’m capable of.”
Photo Credit: ©Getty Images/Steph Chambers/Staff
Michael Foust has covered the intersection of faith and news for 20 years. His stories have appeared in Baptist Press, Christianity Today, The Christian Post, the Leaf-Chronicle, the Toronto Star and the Knoxville News-Sentinel.
