AMERICAN athlete Cole Hocker claimed a stunning victory in the men’s 5,000 metres at the world championships in Tokyo on Sunday.
The Olympic 1,500 metres champion secured gold with a winning time of 12 minutes 58.30 seconds at Japan’s National Stadium.
This victory provided some redemption for the 24-year-old after his disqualification in the 1,500 metres semi-finals for jostling earlier in the championships.
Belgium’s Kenyan-born Isaac Kimeli earned the silver medal with a time of 12 minutes 58.78 seconds.
France’s Jimmy Gressier completed the podium by taking bronze to add to his surprising 10,000 metres gold medal.
Norway’s Jakob Ingebrigtsen entered the race as the defending champion but had missed the entire outdoor season.
The Norwegian ultimately finished a disappointing 10th place with a time of 13 minutes 2.00 seconds.
Ingebrigtsen attempted to control the pace of the 12-and-a-half lap race by taking the lead with four laps remaining.
He lost that lead with 600 metres to go and never challenged for a medal position.
The race concluded with a thrilling sprint down the final straight as Hocker moved from fourth place to overtake his rivals just before the finish line. – AFP
