You may recall that the pre-race hype included a seemingly never ending stream of barbs and insults between Norwegian Jakob Ingebrigtsen and Britain’s Josh Kerr, the two men who were considered the favorites in the event. These guys, and pretty much every news outlet, were convinced that no one else even had a chance at a medal, and they were not the least bit shy about proclaiming this to the world. Ingebrigtsen and Kerr spent an inordinate amount of time and energy telling the world how great they were, with each declaring himself the winner before the race was run.
The Daily Mail reported: “Kerr has told fans that they should expect a 'vicious' race between the pair this evening, saying it will be one of the 'hardest 1500 metres this sport has seen for a very long time'.”
That is true – although not what any of them expected.
ESPN – in case you didn’t know, an American sports entity – wrote: “The Kerr-Ingebrigtsen rivalry is a track showdown 'for the ages.'” Apparently, writer Connor O'Halloran also fell for the hype, and ignored the fact that other men would compete in the 1500, including Hocker and Nuguse. O’Halloran went on to say, “There will come a time late on Tuesday night in Paris, with one bend left of the men's 1,500 meters, when the drama will reach a climax. Norway's Jakob Ingebrigtsen will probably be leading, Britain's Josh Kerr will likely be on his shoulder, but at the finish line, there will be even more than a gold medal.”
According to the ESPN piece, Ingebrigtsen said he could win the 1500 blindfolded. Kerr was equally certain that he would be wearing the Gold medal after the race. It’s funny how things work out in the real world. Hocker and Nuguse pretty much stayed out of the yammering and boasting. They just showed up and ran the race of their lives.
MUST WATCH: COLE HOCKER WINS OLYMPIC GOLD IN THE MEN’S 1500 METERS. EPIC RACE FINISH. pic.twitter.com/uSpVmPH4D1
— Chris Chavez (@ChrisChavez) August 6, 2024
After the race, The Guardian reported: “You may have been led to believe that this 1500m final was a two-man showdown. We apologise for any confusion.” In the same article, The Guardian wrote: “… the Olympics website published a story that “the competition is between the two fastest runners in the men’s 1500m.””
Clearly, Hocker and Nuguse paid little to no attention to the hype. These two Americans kept their heads about them and ran their hearts out. They earned their place in history, rather than attempting to insert themselves. There’s a great lesson for young athletes everywhere: train hard and let your ability speak for you.
From an NPR article: "I'm still looking for words to describe that moment," Hocker said of his win, in which he beat his own personal best time by roughly three seconds. "I felt the moment, I felt the magnitude of it."
Hocker told the Associated Press: “They’ve had all this added pressure and all that and noise. I think that’s part of this. This job is blocking out that noise and it gets harder and harder the more you excel.”
Nuguse, in ND Insider: “I knew it was right in front of me and it was a moment of digging down really deep and just getting it done,” he said of the last stretch. “I’m just so happy to come away with bronze.”
Maybe next time, Kerr and Ingebrigtsen - two self-important, self-absorbed loudmouths, will emerge from their fantasy world and pay a little more attention to reality. They can learn from the well-grounded approach from the two guys who stunned them and the rest of the world – Cole Hocker and Yared Nuguse.
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Larry Manch is an author, teacher, guitar player, freelance writer, and columnist. He has written 24 books; available in paperback and e-book on Amazon.com.
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