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AMERICAN COLE Hocker produced a devastating finish in the home straight for an upset victory in the men’s Olympic 1500m in Paris tonight.
Hocker outsprinted defending champion Jakob Ingebrigtsen of Norway and Britain’s world champion Josh Kerr to take gold in an Olympic record of 3:27.65.
Kerr bagged silver in a national record of 3:27.79, while Ingebrigtsen came fourth after being passed by another American, Yared Nuguse, who clocked a personal best of 3:27.80.
World Athletics president Sebastian Coe, who himself won two Olympic 1500m golds for Britain, had predicted that the final could be a “race for the ages” notably given the ever-increasing public rivalry between Ingebrigtsen and Kerr.
And so it proved, but not quite as Coe had foreseen as the unfancied Hocker stole the show with his late surge.
Kenya’s Brian Komen briefly held the lead in front of a 69,000-capacity crowd at the Stade de France before the Norwegian shot to the front of the pack at a cracking pace.
The field went through the opening 400 metres in 54.82sec, Kerr sat in third on Komen’s shoulder and alongside Kenya’s Timothy Cheriuyot, the 2019 world champion and silver medallist at the Tokyo Games three years ago.
Ingebrigtsen surged just after the 800m mark, but Cheruiyot kept with him.
At the bell for the last lap, the pack had split into single file.
Kerr made his move at 600m, tracking Ingebrigtsen and pulling close as they came into the home straight.
Kerr kicked, but suddenly Hocker appeared on the inside to deliver a super finishing kick for a fantastic Olympic victory that no one, not least Coe, had predicted.
200m women’s final
Earlier in the evening, Gabby Thomas stormed to a brilliant victory in the women’s Olympic 200m to clinch the first major title of her career.
Thomas clocked 21.83 to win ahead of St. Lucia’s new 100m champion Julien Alfred, who timed 22.08. Thomas’ teammate Brittany Brown claimed bronze in 22.2.
Thomas, 27, a bronze medallist at the Tokyo Games three years ago, is the first American woman to win an Olympic short sprint title since childhood idol Allyson Felix won the 200m at the 2012 London Games.
St. Lucia’s Alfred had been hoping to clinch an Olympic sprint double after her dazzling win in the 100m on Saturday.
But Thomas, the fastest woman in the world this year over this distance, was in no mood to let her date with destiny slip.
The Harvard-educated sprinter exploded out of the blocks and ran a superb bend to open up a sizeable lead coming into the home straight.
The American’s strength and finishing power never looked like waning as she powered over the line to claim a deserved gold.
There was more hammer throw joy for Canada as world champion Camryn Rogers won the women’s competition with 76.97 metres.
Her victory came just 48 hours after teammate and fellow world champ Ethan Katzberg secured the men’s hammer gold. The pair embraced trackside, Rogers draped in a Canadian flag.
There was no surprise in the men’s long jump as multiple global medallist Miltiadis Tentoglou retained the men’s Olympic long jump title.
Tentoglou managed a best of 8.48 metres for his second gold, having also won at the Tokyo Games three years ago.
Jamaica’s Wayne Pinnock took silver with 8.36m while Italy’s Mattia Furlani claimed bronze, just 2cm adrift.
There was a second Olympic record on the night as Bahrain’s world champion Winfred Yavi won the women’s 3000m steeplechase in 8min 52.76sec.
Uganda’s defending champion Peruth Chemutai took silver in a national record of 8:53.34 and Kenya’s Faith Cherotich claimed bronze in 8:55.15.
American reigning champion Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone and Femke Bol of the Netherlands set up a mouth-watering final in the women’s 400m hurdles.
The in-form pair each won their semi-finals to advance to the final scheduled for 7.25pm on Thursday.
It also means Bol remains on course in her audacious bid for treble gold, having already anchored the Dutch quartet to 4x400m mixed relay glory. Her third event will be the women’s 4x400m relay.
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“Denying world’s poorest free partial internet connectivity when today they have none, for ideological reasons, strikes me as morally wrong,”
Giving the world’s poorest access only to a cut-down Facebook-controlled Internet for profit-based reasons strikes me as morally wrong.
I think it would encourage the telecomms companies there to up the game and improve the infrastructure, its clearly not good enough if its unaffordable or inaccessible to 66% of the population , innovation thrives on competition
“innovation thrives on competition”
True, and what Facebook were trying to do was to make sure nobody could compete with them. If they had got their way, any companies who wanted access to this lucrative market would then have to pay Facebook for the privilege. Anybody who wanted to provide free or cheap services to the people of India would also have to pay Facebook for the privilege.
In the long term, net neutrality is better for the people.
Jog on Zucky. We all know what your game is.
Free Internet comes with a price.
What happened to point 3?
Funny Facebook offering free internet services where that don’t pay a penny for infrastructure, base stations, routers, radio spectrum or transmission towers. And there service is free anyway.
I’m sure that “Zuck” was really deeply upset by the comments lol. Between this and his nauseating family videos, he really does have corporate BS’ing down to a tee.
Nothing this appalling company does is for free, notwithstanding I should say it free platform to facilitate 1000,s alledged friends posting absurd nonsense that they think is somehow relevant or remotely interesting. All this social network has become is an advertising platform most of which is actually ignored. Facebook’s generous offer of free yet limited internet access to the downtrodden of course has a sting in it’s tail, advertising but you have got to ask the question? how are these downtrodden supposed to afford what’s been advertised, indeed how are they supposed to access this free internet? WiFi enabled turpins? The entire idea sucks from start to hopefully it’s end. At least the Indian government smelled a rat from the outset.
@Joseph – “At least the Indian government smelled a rat from the outset.”
No Joseph – What the Indian government is smelling is the fact that half their population don’t have access to a toilet.
For all those who red thumbed.
http://www.theguardian.com/society/2015/jul/01/billions-have-no-access-to-toilets-says-world-health-organisation-report
It’s actually healthier to squat down while you do your business.
But maybe just not in the streets…
Yes it is morally wrong that the poorest can’t have access to Facebook liking posts and sharing selfies. It makes children living on the streets beside open sewers, sexually exploited and forced to beg which may include a form of maiming pale in comparison. Ask me hole
It is the false religion of Hinduism that has kept India in poverty because of its evil caste social structure – which is like a cancer there. Nearly half the population do not even have access to a toilet.
Crikey!….if I ate Indian food all the time I’d need constant access to a toilet…
@Joe @Finipops – LOL
To be honest, having been to India dozens of times I’d probably have to agree with the comment!
The British ransacked India and stole countless resources. British empire… A worse scourge on the earth there never was.
Yes your average poor Indian needs a Facebook account rather than other things like housing and food.
…and toilet facilities.
allow Facebook to provide certain sites and services
certain is the key word there. expect heavy censorship of anything they may offer. people are starting to get wise to agendas of censorship and limiting free speech.
Got to hand it to Zuckerberg. I very sensible down to earth and likeable guy..
Well that statement went down well.. (Not) lol :-) Tell me it was because of the typo… !!!
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