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Who is Cole Hocker? Olympian disqualified from World Athletics Championships 1500m final
Cole Hocker has been disqualified from the semi-final at the world championships for jostling. He will not compete in the event on Wednesday.
American athlete Cole Hocker has been disqualified after his World Athletics Championships 1500m semi-final. The Olympic gold medalist was found pushing past Germany’s Robert Farken in the final 100 meters of the semi-finals on Monday. A report published by NBC Sports claimed that a USA Track and Field appeal of the DQ was denied by a jury, resulting in the 24-year-old's disqualification from Wednesday’s final.
“We are disappointed by the decision to disqualify Olympic champion Cole Hocker from the 1500 meter final. We believed we had grounds for an appeal and unfortunately, that appeal was denied,” read a statement shared by USA Track and Field to the outlet.
Cole Hocker speaks out on the incident
After the race, 24-year-old Hocker was quoted as saying by The Guardian, “It was tight, I was looking for any kind of gap I could find. I tried my best to get through there as cleanly as possible, but I knew everybody was going to be coming from behind really fast.”
Hocker went on, adding, “I got a little bit trapped in there. I have been in that position a few times before and I just tried to stay calm. I trust my instincts and just try to move through as well as I can.”
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World Championships 1500m final: Who is in the event?
According to Independent, Hocker was found to have breached World Athletics’ “jostling” rules (TR17.1.2[J]), having overtaken Farken to register a top-six finish, thus securing an automatic qualifying berth for the final. Hocker had earned second spot in the semifinal, with Dutchman Stefan Nillessen finishing in ninth and Farken occupying the 10th spot. But now with Hocker’s disqualification, Farken finds himself in the final.
“Obviously, I’m not trying to affect anyone else’s race. I was just trying to get to the line in that top-six position, obviously, like everyone else was. I would have liked to have it a little bit cleaner, but it was what it was,” Hocker was quoted as saying by the Independent, before the DQ ruling came out.
Hocker, who won a gold medal in the Olympic 1500m final in Paris last year, still has a chance to have a shot at a medal as he is set to take part in the 5000m event. Meanwhile, defending world champion Josh Kerr of Britain, Dutchman Niels Laros, and US champion Jonah Koech find themselves in Wednesday’s 1500m final.
FAQs
Why was Cole Hocker disqualified?
Cole Hocker has been disqualified for “jostling.”
When is the final scheduled to take place?
The World Championships 1500m final is set to be played on Wednesday, September 17.
