He was a third grader the first time he told his father that he was going to run for Oregon and be an Olympian.

Maybe a tad far-fetched at the time, but former Oregon track star and Olympian Cole Hocker had a sense early that he wasn’t going to have an ordinary job.

“It’s funny because he’s never really mentioned another career path,” Hocker’s father Kyle said. “He has pictured himself as a Duck since he was a little kid.”

Now, the 20-year-old has achieved both of those feats to go along with a lifelong goal of becoming a professional runner by signing with Nike in September. His high school coaches even admitted his success came quicker than they anticipated.
“I knew that was coming,” Hocker’s assistant coach Jason Moyars said. “It did come a little sooner than I thought. I was looking more at the 2024 Olympics.”

After capturing the NCAA outdoor 1500 meter championship as a freshman with the Ducks, Hocker had his sights set on Tokyo. Though many experts around the sport doubted his chances, he came to the Olympic trials to silence them.

Hocker, who is known for his incredible kick, let the race come down to the last 10 meters side-by-side the reigning Olympic champion and former Duck Matthew Centrowitz.

With his arms flailing and teeth clenched, Hocker crossed the finish line a step before Centrowitz — not before sending a message to the track and field world by holding his index finger to his mouth, indicating a “shush.”

“He wanted to tell [the media] to shut up,” Kyle said.
A very unexpected display of emotion from the shy kid from Indianapolis.
Described by his peers as more of an introvert in high school, Hocker found concentrating on his craft was the only way to keep himself at ease.

Though everyone at Cathedral High School knew how talented he was, he mainly stuck to himself and a few of his closest friends, never acting like he was above anyone else.

“He was top dog,” Moyars said. “But he never took that to his head. He was always there to help his teammates.”
That humility and determination Hocker showcased throughout high school would pay dividends when it came to some of the most important races of his career.

At the NCAA Indoor Championships, he did the unfathomable. After locking up the title in the mile as well as the meet record (3:53.71), Hocker still had one final race left: the 3000m.

Way ahead of the rest of the heat, he trailed teammate Cooper Teare with 200 meters to go. With a kick on par with the fastest distance runners in the world, Hocker surged past Teare with less than 10 meters left to secure the elusive double championship.

Hocker also did this all within the same hour.

Though his unprecedented success has shocked many around the track and field world, those who have paid close attention to him understand his achievements are a result of an intense training regimen Oregon head distance coach Ben Thomas instilled in Cole and his teammates.

David Woods, a writer at The Indianapolis Star who has covered Hocker more than any reporter, stressed the impact that Coach Thomas had on Cole.

“He really seems to know what buttons to push with Cole,” Woods said.

Woods also emphasized Thomas had precisely calculated the times Hocker was going to achieve.

Those predictions even surprised Cole at times.

“I think he even shocked Cooper [Teare] and Cole that he was forecasting such low times, but they began to believe him,” Cole’s father said.

Although many weren’t confident of his chances to even qualify for the Olympics, Hocker knew none of that mattered in his quest for Olympic glory. That was his moment, and he seized it.

In the two 1500m finals qualifying heats, Hocker cruised through, leading up to what has been the most crucial race of his career.

The 1500m Final featured some of the biggest legends in the sport, like world champion Timothy Cheruiyot and 20-year-old phenom Jakob Ingebrigtsen. But the lone American in the heat wasn’t intimidated.

In what was the fastest 1500m race ever run, Hocker placed sixth while simultaneously running below the previous Olympic record.

His performance in the Olympic finals encouraged a flock of shoe companies to offer him a professional contract, but Hocker decided to stay loyal to his collegiate roots and represent the brand that outfitted him in college: Nike.

Though it wasn’t a medal, Hocker set himself up for what looks to be a historic career and a name to be remembered.