Former Oregon Duck, Cole Hocker, basks in the Eugene sun as he is showered with cheers in his old college competing grounds. He will represent the University of Oregon and the entire country of the United States of America in Paris as he fights for gold in the 1500m. The most elite athletes in the country meet at Hayward Field for the 2024 Summer Olympic Trials in Eugene, Ore. on June 22, 2024. (Jonathan Suni/Emerald)
Former Oregon runner Cole Hocker became the first Duck alumnus to capture a track and field gold medal at this year’s Olympic Games on Tuesday morning.
Hocker, who ran for the Ducks between 2019 and 2021, set a new Olympic record in the 1500m final when he ran 3:27.65 to outpace the field.
Jakob Ingebrigtsen of Norway held the previous record, which he set it at 3:28.32 at the Tokyo Olympics in 2020.
Hocker finished sixth in the 2020 Games, his only previous Olympic finals appearance. He qualified for the 2024 edition in Eugene with a stunning kick that saw him pass fellow American Yared Nuguse at Hayward Field in June before competing in Paris this month. Nuguse finished third in the final.
After running 3:32.54 in the qualifying rounds, where he finished 10th, expectations cooled off for some.
He came with a fire in the final, though, and his personal and Olympic-record time is the 23-year-old’s first medal.
Hocker overcame the current world leader, Jakob Ingebrigtsen, and his teammate Nuguse to win a shock gold.
The 1500m was Hocker’s only race at these Games — he nearly qualified for the 5000m but finished seventh in the field at the USATF qualifiers.
He’s signed to run with Nike — and after winning gold in Paris, his name is undoubtedly shooting up the list of contenders for the season to come.