Cole Hocker has been disqualified from the 1500m final at the World Athletics Championships after the Olympic champion was ruled to have illegally pushed past Germany’s Robert Farken during the semi-finals on Monday.
Hocker, who triumphed over Josh Kerr and Jakob Ingebrigtsen in last year’s highly anticipated Olympic 1500m final in Paris, was found to have broken World Athletics’ “jostling” rules (TR17.1.2[J]) as the American overtook Farken to finish within the top-six and claim an automatic qualifying spot for Wednesday’s final.
It came following an appeal from Germany, with Farken initially missing out on qualification. Hocker’s name has been removed from the start list, with Farken advanced to the final and South Africa’s Tshepo Tshite pushed into the top-six to take the final spot.
Team USA will appeal Hocker’s disqualification.
Hocker was running in the second of two heats in the 1500m final. It was a physical race from the start, with Canada’s Foster Malleck and Italy’s Federico Riva falling on the track close to the midway point after getting caught in a pack and tripping.
Hocker found himself in traffic as he entered the final straight. The 24-year-old rounded the final bend behind Farken, and with the Netherlands’ Stefan Nillessen on his left. Hocker made his move and looked to squeeze through Farken and Nillessen, but in doing so pushed into the German with his left arm and then held his arm across Farken’s body.
As Hocker came through the gap, Farken and Nillessen dropped away, finishing 9th and 10th in the heat respectively. Great Britain’s Neil Gourley came through behind Hocker to also take a spot and join defending world champion Kerr and Jake Wightman in the final.
Former world champion Steve Cram, who was commentating for the BBC, said Hocker had “panicked” and agreed with the decision to disqualify the reigning Olympic champion.
“You can’t do this, really,” Cram said. “I know the gap was there, if he’d been a bit more patient. He uses his elbow, puts it across Farken, who may or may not have got in, it was down to thousandths of a second with Neil Gourley.
“Hocker panicked there and did impede the German athlete.”
More follows
