Team USA finished the fifth full day of athletics with plenty of hardware at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. The headlines were Cole Hocker’s Olympic record in the men’s 1500m and Gabby Thomas winning the women’s 200m.
- ALSO READ:
- When execution comes together – Julien Alfred
- ‘I Defeated Myself’: Kishane Thompson’s Gold Slip in Epic Paris 2024 Olympic 100m Showdown
In the 1500m, Hocker ran 3:27.65 to take gold over Josh Kerr of the UK (3:27.79), with fellow American Yared Nguse rounding out the podium in 3:27.80.
I kind of told myself that I’m in this race too,” Hocker said post-race.
“If they let me fly under the radar, then so be it. I think that might’ve just been the best, added Hocker.
Defending champion Jakob Ingebrigtsen of Norway led for a majority of the race. As they turned onto the homestretch with 110m left, Kerr (the reigning world champion), who has been a consistent thorn in Ingebrigtsen’s side for the past couple of years, looked poised to take Olympic gold this time, passing his Norwegian rival, but the aforementioned Americans were also in tow.
By the time everyone broke for the straightaway, Kerr’s kick was out-strided by Hocker over the last 40m, who beat him to the line. Ingebrigtsen finished fourth in 3:28.24.
“I said what my goals were, it was pretty obvious but I put a performance out there today that I was extremely proud of. I focused on my controllables, I ran the best and the fastest tactical 1500m I have ever done in my life,” said Kerr.
Along with Matthew Centrowitz’s 2016 victory, Hocker is only the second American to win gold in the men’s 1500m since 1908. Young, 21-year-old American Hobbs Kessler was fifth in 3:29.45. Kerr, meanwhile, set a British record by usurping Mo Farah’s 3:28.81.
In the 200m, Thomas led from gunshot to the finish line. Coming off the curve with a small lead that she nurtured to about a metre by the time she crossed the line in 21.83, fending off 100m champion Julien Alfred, who would finish in 22.08, and teammate Brittany Brown, who took bronze in 22.20.
Thomas, 27, who was born in Atlanta, GA and raised in Massachusetts by a Jamaican father and American mother, was the Olympic bronze medalist from Tokyo and currently holds the fastest female time on the planet, after supplanting seventh-place finishing teammate McKenzie Long’s 21.83 at the US trials.
Her chances of upgrading her bronze to gold seemed all but assured as Jamaican Shericka Jackson mysteriously withdrew from the 200m after supposedly pulling out of the 100m in order to devote full energy to the 200m, and Alfred having run five rounds of heats including all three 100m rounds before getting here.
I don’t think, it could have gone any better,” said Thomas.
In some semifinal action, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone (52.13) was the fastest qualifier in the women’s 400m hurdles, with Dutch competitor Femke Bol (52.57) advancing with the second-fastest time, setting up another epic showdown for Thursday.
_________________________
Dive into the vibrant track and field conversation – scroll down to leave your comment and stay connected with the Trackalerts Social community! 🎉
- Follow us on Instagram @trackalerts
- Subscribe to our YouTube @trackalertstv
- Follow us on TikTok @trackalerts
- Follow us on X @trackalerts
- Follow us on Threads @trackalerts
- Like us on Facebook @trackalerts
Help us hit 100,000 subscribers on TrackalertsTV! 🌟 Subscribe, like, and share to fuel your track and field passion.