Hocker in trials 5k- ouch

Most 1500 champions are also elite at an event either one up or own down. Makhloufi & Kiprop both have medals at the 800. Jakob and El Guerrouj have medals at the 5K. 1:43.xx chops don’t obviously make Kessler better at one event or the other. 1:42 would be a different story.

i think it’s cool that he’s experimenting and taking risks. He’s 21 and the lesson of Donovan Brazier’s career is to strike when the iron is hot. Who knows what tomorrow will bring?

I think it’s cool that Hocker also went for an ambitious double and I’m sure he can recover by Paris.

Teare will have to keep working at it. the steeple might be a good call. 12:54 5K ability might be decisive there even if his form isn’t great.

I agree with you that Kessler is still a 1500 guy, not a true 800 runner. But the reality is that there are no medal chances in the 1500 right now. Nuguse, Hocker, Kerr, Jakob are all fitter, stronger, more experienced, better runners with faster PRs. Kessler can make the finals but that would be his best case scenario (even with a 3:30-31 PR).

But in the 800, he has a shot at getting a medal. Maybe gold is off the table (Emmanuel Wanyonyi is "next level") but the other two medals are up for grabs given the chaotic nature of the event.

If you are thinking medals at the olympics, the 800 is the less daunting path (where "getting lucky" has been known to happen... Nils Schumann, am I right?)

The ignorance on the men's 800m scene is somewhat insane as is the supposed impact on 1500m prospects. Kessler is a long shot to medal in the 800 and 1500. What his 800m at the Trials showed us is he has great potential both in the 800 (doing so well with limited experience) and the 1500m long-term (as he builds his endurance). For this year, it really has not changed his prospects in the 1500m.

Looking back, I wish Hocker had went for the double in the 800m over the 5,000m. Nur and Fisher as well as all the fresh college guys made the double in the final pretty much impossible for a tired athlete who was in maximal 12:58 shape. Even though, Hocker isn't a natural 800m guy he could've possibly gotten into the 1:44s.

Unless last year was a fluke gold *and* silver are pretty much off the table. Marco Arop is freaking good. That being said, we've seen Sedjati's risky style of running go different ways so there's an opportunity to beat him maybe. Kinyamal has struggled to run his best final after rounds. Hoppel has as well, but looks to be at a different level. But you have to acknowlege that from what we've seen from these 5 is way past what we've seen from Hobbs. And that's not even getting to into a bunch of guys with low-1:43 PBs (and faster) or championship success that he'd have to beat to medal.

Agree on most of this.

i don’t see a guy who just PRed twice in three days at 800 by 1.4

that’s a big drop in this event

he might get out of a round. 1:43.64 PRs usually, usually don’t factor hugely in Worlds or Olympics when everyone shows up

He ran 1:45.3 five years ago in the early season where his BEST 1500 all season was 3:32. He wasn't struggling to run 1:46, he ran 1:46.0 in a prelim heat in a meet he didn't need to run well in. He has so much power, yes I think he could go sub 1:44 this year in a championship meet. And yeah, I think Hocker can go 1:44.

Hocker was looking to build his strength for the 1500m by training and racing 5000s. He said so himself. It worked really well. Now that he has qualified in the 1500 and built that aerobic engine, it will be time to sharpen for the Olympic 1500m by running a fast time-trial style 1500m at Monaco and jumping into a quick 800m race. He should be able to run 1:44 at least.

I would say the current iteration of Hoppel looks to be well in contention with Kinyamal and Arop. He's got a deadly last 200 (something Arop is vulnerable to) and has shown he can also run quite fast (perhaps even 1:41, though I would guess 1:42-low). Great combination and certainly good enough to challenge for Oly gold. Agree that Hobbs is still a ways behind and will be lucky to make the final (not a knock on him, just the truth).

Yes. I actually do like him in the rounds. He is a very smart runner in the 800m, you can see it. He ignores his position in the first 200, and simply gets where he needs to get to over the next, crucial 400. Now the rounds get tricky if he ends up in a 1:46+ heat. But from what I've seen he will not panic and he will not overly worry about running a bit wide if necessary. Medaling is a huge step! I mean he medaled in this USAs but Miller ran kind of a misjudged race. The world is brutal in the 800m semis. We've seen so many guys with PBs way better than 1:43.6 get bounced in that stage. It is tougher than the US finals.

Yes Arop will be a player here - Wanyonyi will be tough and has to be the favorite. Arop ran 1.43.5 and 1.43.7 virtually by himself this weekend at the Canadian trials. Ran in the 2nd lane to avoid the puddles for part of it as well in one of the races.

From can to will is big difference! Around 4 years 😀

Certainly has a chance. I'm a bit wary after Murphy's 2021 Trials race, which was similarly fantastic. Hoppel has looked at a different level, and I'm less worried about him getting lost in the pack like he used to. It kind of reminds me of when Nick Symmonds nearly won Gold (Rudisha was out for the year). All year you could tell he was running far more confidently and aggressively instead of relying on others fading or giving him an opening. It bodes well for Hoppel, but it's a very strong field materializing after seeing Sedjati, Wanyonyi, Arop, Kinyamala and even guys like Tual look to be way better.

“At least”

then you mean 1;43.x ?

That’s a leap

1 month to the day until the 1500m heats in Paris. It was a good strength workout if nothing else. He’ll be primed and ready to go.

hobbs really peaked at the end of the trials.

the trick now is to get a minor training block in and re=peak.

there is every chance to make the 1500 final or get bumped.

if hobbs can maintain the current form, however getting bumped from the 1500 final isn't likely.

the whole thing is on a razors edge really, in the 800 heats at the OG, anything can happen as well.

be cool if goose hocker and hobbs bring the same form to the OG.

soooooooooooooo stupid is hocker to play with his fitness health in the 5000, and equivalently teare sabotageing himself in the 1500.

then again with Hocker, if he is not flying too close to the sun, the 5000 can build strength as a workout,

or if you are nearing the overtraining point, the 5000 is poision.

i would guess Hocker is OK, he's not raced that much, and 2 years a go he was a horse.

we shall see.

Everyone can have a crappy day. When Nur and Fisher took off, he just kinda looked like "Dammit, where did my legs go?"

equivalent to Corrigan can medal in this Olympics

dissimilar to Nuguse can medal in this Olympics