In the fastest Olympic 1500 meter final in history, USA’s Cole Hocker relied on his devastating final kick to bring home the gold.
Jakob Ingebrigtsen, the defending Olympic Champion, took the race out at a blazing fast pace and held on to the lead for nearly the entire race, however the final stretch saw Josh Kerr begin to pass on the outside while Cole Hocker made his move on the inside. As they came to the finish line, it was Hocker in first, with Josh Kerr earning the silver medal. As Ingebrigtsen faded, USA’s Yared Nuguse pushed through the line, taking the bronze medal.
Hocker’s finishing time of 3:27.65 is a new Olympic record, bettering the previous mark of 3:28.32 set by Ingebrigtsen in Tokyo. Josh Kerr’s 3:27.79 is a new British national record, and Yared Nuguse set a new personal best of 3:27.80.
Watch Cole Hocker’s devastating kick to win Olympic gold here, via YouTube
The 1500m Olympic gold medal returns to the USA after a one-Olympics hiatus. Matthew Centrowitz won gold in the event at the Rio Olympics in 2016.
