Olympic 1500m champion Cole Hocker has been dramatically disqualified from the men’s 1500m final at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo after being found guilty of jostling in the semi-finals on Monday.
The American, who stunned Josh Kerr and Jakob Ingebrigtsen to win Olympic gold in Paris last year, was ruled to have violated World Athletics rule TR17.1.2(J) after shoving Germany’s Robert Farken in the closing stages of Heat 2. Hocker initially secured an automatic qualifying spot for Wednesday’s final but his name has since been struck from the start list following an appeal from the German camp.
Farken, who missed out on a qualifying place because of the incident, has been reinstated, while South Africa’s Tshepo Tshite was also confirmed among the finalists. Team USA announced it would appeal the decision, setting up a potential twist in the high-profile saga.
Kenya’s hopes for a first world 1500m gold since 2019 remain alive, with Timothy Cheruiyot and Reynold Cheruiyot both advancing to the final. Timothy, the 2019 world champion, finished fourth in Heat 1 in 3:35.61, while Reynold made a strong statement by winning Heat 2 in 3:36.64 before Hocker’s disqualification reshaped the lineup.
In Heat 1, Dutch prodigy Niels Laros triumphed in 3:35.50, edging defending champion Josh Kerr of Great Britain (3:35.53) and fellow Briton Jake Wightman (3:35.56). Timothy Cheruiyot (3:35.61), Ireland’s Andrew Coscoran (3:35.65), and Sweden’s Samuel Pihlstrom (3:35.71) rounded out the automatic qualifiers.
Heat 2 saw Reynold Cheruiyot lead the field in 3:36.64, followed by the now-disqualified Hocker (3:36.67) and Spain’s Adrian Ben (3:36.78). Portugal’s Isaac Nader (3:36.86) and Kenyan-born American Jonah Koech (3:36.86) also advanced.
With Hocker’s absence confirmed, all eyes turn to Kerr, Laros, and the Kenyan duo as they prepare for a fiercely competitive showdown in Wednesday’s final.
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