Major Track And Field Controversy Spoils World Championships For American Star Cole Hocker

Cole Hocker was disqualified from the World Championships of track and field in Tokyo on Monday. The United States appealed the decision but the appeal was denied.

He will not be allowed to run in the 1,500-meter final.

This latest track and field controversy stems from contact on the final straightaway. It appeared as though the German runner was cooked and moving backwards, making this a joke of a ruling.

Who is Cole Hocker?

Hocker won four national titles at the University of Oregon. He turned pro in 2021 and signed with Nike.

His professional career has been a tremendous success thus far. The 24-year-old 1,500-meter specialist rarely finishes outside of the podium.

Hocker won a gold medal at the Olympics with an incredible move on the final straightaway in Paris last summer. He finished third at the U.S. Championships in June to secure his bid to Worlds.

His personal bests are as follow:

• 800m — 1:45.13
• 1500m — 3:27.65
• Mile — 3:47.43
• 3000m — 7:42.93
• 5000m — 12:58.82

You get the idea. Cole Hocker is fast at middle distances.

Controversy strikes track and field at the World Championships.

Hocker placed inside the top six of his semifinal heat in the 1,500 at the World Athletics Championships on Monday. That result would qualify him for the final.

However, he was disqualified from his heat for “jostling.”

Hocker was fighting for position in the final 50 meters of the race and cut in front of German runner Robert Farken. It was ruled that he impacted the position of his opponent with unnecessary contact but if you look closely at Farken’s stride, that does not seem to be the case.