NEW YORK — While he already has national, Olympic, and world titles to his name, until Sunday night, Cole Hocker could not call himself a Millrose Games champion. But after a perfectly executed race in the meet’s loaded two-mile, the 24-year-old from Indianapolis is now an event winner in America’s oldest indoor track meeting, founded in 1908. He didn’t set any records, but he demonstrated superb race-craft, not leading until the final 50 meters when it counted.
Cole Hocker Takes Advantage of Strong Millrose Games Field
“I just felt really good,” Hocker told reporters after clocking 8:07.31. “I knew this was such a stacked field. It’s a regular-season meet, but being here you wouldn’t know that.” He added: “These are moments in my career that I’m going to one hundred percent look back on in the future, and I just want to be fully present in these moments.”
The race began without double-Olympic bronze medalist Grant Fisher, who withdrew just hours before with an illness. Nonetheless, the competition was still stiff with world champions Josh Kerr and Jake Wightman of Great Britain and Geordie Beamish of New Zealand, plus national and NCAA champions Parker Wolfe, Ethan Strand, Graham Blanks, Drew Hunter –all Americans– and Habtom Samuel of Eritrea.
Hocker followed the pacemaker Ben Allen right from the gun. A sub-8:00 finish time was still possible through half a mile (2:00.9 split), but the pace sagged in the second half-mile to 2:06.4 (4:07.3 at the mile). That put Josh Kerr’s 2024 world best of 8:00.67 out of reach, and the key protagonists turned to old-school racing.
“Like last year (when he ran the 3000m here and finished second to Fisher), I was ready to go fast,” Hocker said. “Obviously, I was up there at the front and maybe people were expecting me to pull it along.” He continued: “It seemed like everyone here wanted to race, and I think that’s what happens when you get together this kind of talent.”
During The Race
Samuel, who still competes collegiately for the University of New Mexico, spent the early laps at the back, but moved up and slotted in behind the pacemaker at one and one-quarter miles. Hocker drifted back to third behind Australia’s Ky Robinson, and Kerr was right behind Hocker. Samuel relinquished the lead when Blanks surged and took over at the front with half a mile to go. Blanks brought the tempo back down to around a four-minute mile pace, and Hocker knew that the race was playing into his hands.
“I want to win really bad,” Hocker recalled thinking. “I want to win these first 14 laps today with my head then see what I have with my body for the last two.”
Wolfe, the reigning national cross country champion who finished 12th at the World Athletics Cross Country Championships last month, made the biggest move of the race. On the backstretch of the final lap Wolfe went to the lead with Kerr and Hocker close behind. Kerr could not cover Wolfe’s move, and the former University of North Carolina star rolled out of the final bend with the lead.
Hocker hit the gas one more time, sweeping around Wolfe at the top of the homestretch to get the win. Wolfe was in lane two, and that gave Kerr a clear shot to the finish on the inside, and he also passed Wolfe to get second in 8:07.68 to Wolfe’s 8:07.83.
“Almost perfect,” said Wolfe when asked if he employed the right tactics today. “I probably just went a tad too early. But, I almost held off a world champ, an Olympic champ. So, I can’t be too pissed about it.”
Kerr, who hadn’t raced since last September’s World Athletics Championships in Tokyo where he suffered a torn calf, was disappointed not to win, although he was pleased with the early-season fitness he showed.
“It’s a good season opener,” said Kerr, who was the fastest man tonight through 3000m with a 7:37.34 en route time. “But, I was hoping for a little bit more.”
Down the finish order, Robinson set an Australian indoor record of 8:08.40 in fourth place, and Beamish finished fifth in 8:08.58. Blanks, who drove the pace in the third quarter of the race, was rewarded with a personal best 8:08.60.
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