Photos courtesy of USA Track
Marty Gordon
Southwest Virginia has an Olympic Gold Medalist. This summer, Cole Hocker shocked the world and won the 1,500-meter final (3:27.65) in the Paris games, setting a new record in the event.
Hocker, who is originally from Indianapolis, Indiana, now calls the New River Valley home. The 20-year-old was the youngest athlete to represent the United States in the 1,500-meter race since Marty Liquori (19-years-old) in 1968.
Hocker called the feeling of winning the gold surreal.
“It felt like a dream, and it felt like I was experiencing everything I have ever wanted to experience out of the Olympics,” he said.
Going into that Olympic finals, Hocker was very positive.
“I knew I was in the best shape of my life and that I just had the best race of my life at the Olympic trials and so the goal was just to get to the starting line because I knew I was due for something that I’ve never done before. I knew I was in contention for a medal, but I knew a gold medal was going to take an almost perfect race. I also reminded myself that I’m usually able to perform when it matters most and that’s what now gives me a lot of confidence in big races,” he said.
Of course, Hocker has a familiar face in Blacksburg as his former coach, Ben Thomas, returns to Virginia Tech after serving as an associate head coach at the University of Oregon and head coach of the Oregon Track Club for the past five years. Prior to Oregon, Thomas spent 17 years with the Hokies.
It was during that time in Oregon Hocker and Thomas teamed up.
In 2021, Hocker, a 20-year-old University of Oregon sophomore, upset Matthew Centrowitz for the win in the U.S. Olympic Trials, followed by a sixth-place finish in the Tokyo Olympic Games.
Thomas is a three-time USTFCCCA National Assistant Coach of the Year, having most recently won back-to-back indoor honors for the Ducks’ incredible success during the 2020 and 2021 seasons. He earned his first national award during his time at Virginia Tech following the 2017 season, becoming the first ACC assistant to ever win the award. Thomas is also a 10-time USTFCCCA Regional Assistant Coach of the Year, including four selections at Oregon.
Named the 2018 USTFCCCA Southeast Region Men’s Assistant Coach of the Year for both indoor and outdoor, Thomas led the Virginia Tech distance medley team to the national indoor title while also coaching three men to the final of the mile.
Recently, Thomas said he couldn’t have been happier that Cole and some of the world’s best athletes trusted him and chose Blacksburg for their training.
“It’s always been home to me, and Virginia Tech, along with the entire community, creates such a supportive environment for athletes,” he said.
In August 2023, a coaching change at Oregon brought him back to his alma mater to take over as head track and field coach. In November, Hocker made the bold decision to pack up and move to Blacksburg to reunite with Thomas, who has been a key fixture in Hocker’s life and success, so continuing to train with him seemed a no-brainer.
“The decision to move to Blacksburg was to optimize this Olympic year. My coach at Oregon, Ben Thomas got the job here at Virginia Tech, so me and a few other teammates decided to make this decision to follow him here. My idea was to eliminate as many variables as I could this year, and keeping my coaching and training the same was probably the biggest variable that I can control,” Hocker said.
After settling into his new home, Hocker’s confidence was boosted by several big races. He won the U.S. 1500-meter indoor title in Albuquerque in February, ran his first sub-13-minute outdoor 5,000-meter race and then dominated in the U.S. Olympic trials in the 1500, winning his preliminary race and semifinal before blasting the final in a meet-record 3:30.59.
“It’s very important to have all of the facilities that are needed to be an Olympic athlete. So, a university is usually the best place for that. Just having the ability to train somewhere and having the coach in the same place is step one on performing your best,” Hocker said.
Hocker is relishing the gold medal but is excited to continue his career with it always in his back pocket. When asked if the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles is in his future, he admitted it seems like a long way away.
“But I know it will sneak up and I 100% look forward to defending my title there.”
The Olympic gold medalist says it has been amazing since the gold medal win.
“As soon as I crossed the line, I knew things were going to change. I had three races after the Olympics, which were a new battle. I was now the Olympic champion and had the target the biggest on my back. I’m excited to embrace this new challenge because it’s everything I’ve dreamed of. As far as outside of the sport goes, life has gotten pretty busy but, again, it’s all good things,” he said.
At the Lausanne Diamond League last month, Hocker finished second to Jakob Ingebrigsten, the same top runner he beat in the Olympics.
To destress on his time away from the track, Hocker plays both the piano and guitar.
Join Hocker and his coach, Ben Thomas, at this weekend’s Sinkland Farms Wine Festival. They will be taking and signing photos after 12 noon on Saturday.
