Christian Cole gets Olympic gold

All the athletes ran in the Paris Olympics 1500m final but, as the Bible states, only one got the ultimate prize.

Cole Hocker, a vocal Christian, followed the advice of 1 Corinthians 9:24, running “in such a way as to get the prize”, leaving the two favourites behind on his way to an unlikely gold.

All eyes were on the absorbing battle between Britain’s Josh Kerr and Norway’s Jakob Ingebrigtsen, with US athlete Hocker seen as a bit-part player in an inevitable one-two between the stars.

But, in another nod to the Bible, the American ran “with perseverance the race set before” him, clocking a new Olympic record time of 3:27:65.

There was shock in the stands and among commentators as the relative track newcomer strode to victory, but for Hocker it was simple. He explained: “It just opened up, and I let God carry me through the finish line!”

It looked impossible only 100 metres from the line, with Ingebrigtsen having set off at world-record pace and looking like a certainty for the top of the podium.

But Hocker drew alongside the Norwegian and Kerr in the final few metres, winning by 0.14 seconds from the Briton and beating his personal best by a remarkable three seconds. Ingebrigtsen even missed out on bronze.

Hocker, 23, told NBC: “I just saw Kerr and Ingebrigtsen battling, kind of having their own battle. And I knew… that they were so focused on each other.

“All the media was about them so I was okay with not taking the brunt of [that] pressure. I’m sure that’s going to change now!”

… story continues