The expected double fight for 1,500 meters took a surprising turn when the winner’s name was not Jakob Ingebrigtsen or Josh Kerr.
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The most dramatic moments of Tuesday’s Olympic night at the Stade de France were seen in the men’s 1,500 meters final.
Everything was brought to Norway by Jakob Ingebrigtsen and Britain By Josh Kerr for a duel, but it turned out differently.
American surprise Cole Hocker fixed the whole pot at the end.
An expert for the Norwegian broadcasting company NRK Vebjörn Rodal anticipate before the race, that Ingebrigtsen must keep a high speed on the track as early as possible. Kerr is known to be a little stronger in final crunches.
It just so happened that Ingebrigtsen started so hard that he had no more bangs in the decisive moments. But even Kerr’s final crunch wasn’t enough, Hocker pushed past in the last meters.
Ingebritsen ended up fourth. The United States took the bronze Yared Nuguse.
– They were smarter than me today. They were the best when it mattered the most, Ingebrigtsen summarized on her Instagram account.
In an interview with NRK, Ingebrigtsen recounted the race that became one of the Olympic classics.
– My legs and I felt really good. I was a little overconfident. I started too hard, and continued too hard in the middle stages. It meant fourth place, Ingebrigtsen admitted.
The Norwegian said halfway through the race that he glanced at the stadium’s giant screen, which revealed that he had pulled a small gap from the others. A mistake that backfired in the decisive moments.
– I got excited and tried to take advantage of the opportunity to get away more. It went too far. I am of course disappointed, but there are many reasons behind this. It’s a little crazy that I tired myself out, Ingebrigtsen said.
The happiest runner in the stadium was naturally Hocker. With a new Olympic record, he jumped from 68th to 7th in the all-time world statistics with a single throw.
He feels that he benefited from the duel built around Ingebrigtsen and Kerr.
– It was good for me. They’ve absorbed all the pressure and fuss, Hocker said According to VG.
Although Hocker was able to surprise at the highest possible level, his ability to play was known. The personal best was improved by more than three seconds.
– I have won countless times at the end of my career. Now it just happened against Ingebrigtsen and Kerr, Hocker stated.
– One hundred meters before the finish line, I knew I had it under control.
What about Kerr? The Olympic gold was still missing from the trophy cabinet of the reigning world champion.
– Cole’s performance was the best that has ever been seen at the Olympics. My own performance today was enough for silver and that’s why I have enough hunger to continue, the Scotsman said according to AP.
Ingebrigtsen continues her struggle for gold in the 5,000 meters, the final of which will be run on Saturday. At 1,500 meters, Ingebrigtsen has now lost three global title race finals in a row.