Olympic Champion Cole Hocker Wins 3,000m at USA Indoor Track Championships

Olympic gold medalist Cole Hocker maintained his perfect record at USA Indoor Track Championships by winning the 3,000-meter race in a thrilling finish Saturday. The victory came in a razor-thin contest against fellow Olympians at the Ocean Breeze Athletic Complex in Staten Island.

Olympic champion Cole Hocker kept his perfect streak alive at the USA Track and Field Indoor Championships, capturing victory in the 3,000-meter event during Saturday’s competition on Staten Island, New York.

The thrilling race at Ocean Breeze Athletic Complex saw Hocker edge out two fellow Olympic teammates in an incredibly tight finish, clocking 7 minutes and 39.25 seconds. Yared Nuguse claimed second place just three hundredths behind at 7:39.28, while Nico Young rounded out the podium in third at 7:39.29.

The Paris Olympics 1,500-meter champion and recent world outdoor 5,000-meter titleholder has never tasted defeat at the national indoor championships. His winning resume includes double victories in the 1,500 and 3,000 events during 2022, plus another 1,500-meter crown in 2024.

“It was just staying attached to both Yared and Nico,” Hocker explained to NBC Sports. “I know both of them are such good finishers. It was just staying connected to them because only two go (to worlds), so I needed one of them.”

Saturday’s competition serves as the selection meet for the upcoming World Indoor Championships scheduled for March 20-22 in Poland. Each nation may qualify a maximum of two athletes per individual event, with potential third spots available through World Indoor Tour wild card selections.

Hocker and Nuguse will return to action Sunday for the 1,500-meter final as the national championships wrap up.

Other standout performances included Chase Jackson’s record-breaking effort in women’s shot put, launching 20.44 meters to surpass the previous American indoor standard. The two-time world champion had previously shared the old record of 20.21 meters and also holds the outdoor mark at 20.76 meters.

Pole vaulter Zach Bradford joined an exclusive club by clearing 6.01 meters, becoming just the eighth American man to reach the six-meter barrier in either indoor or outdoor competition.

Emily Mackay established a new championship standard in the women’s 3,000 meters with her winning time of 8:30.01, narrowly defeating Elle St. Pierre who finished in 8:30.07. The hurdles events saw Dylan Beard triumph in the men’s 60-meter race at 7.37 seconds, while Alia Armstrong took the women’s title in 7.82 seconds.

The women’s high jump witnessed the end of an era as Vashti Cunningham’s remarkable nine consecutive national indoor championships came to a close. Charity Hufnagel claimed victory with a clearance of 1.96 meters, while Cunningham settled for runner-up honors at 1.93 meters.

Additional event winners included Jasmine Moore in women’s long jump at 6.86 meters and Lauren Harris in the 5K racewalk with a time of 22:14.69.

On the men’s side, Russell Robinson dominated the triple jump with a leap of 16.59 meters, Isaiah Rogers captured the weight throw at 23.41 meters, and Nick Christie won the 5K racewalk in 19:13.37.