An American long-distance runner made headlines on Tuesday by capturing the gold medal in the 1500-meter race in Paris, attributing his victory to his unwavering faith in God.
Cole Hocker of the United States delivered a stunning performance, overtaking the favorites in the final 100 meters to win the men’s 1500 in a personal best and Olympic record time of 3 minutes, 27.65 seconds. He surged past Jakob Ingebrigtsen of Norway and Josh Kerr of Great Britain to claim the top spot on the podium.
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.”
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.”
Read the complete story on ChristianHeadlines.com
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