American Runner Cole Hocker Disqualified from 1,500m World Championship Final

Tokyo, Japan – Defending Olympic champion Cole Hocker faced disqualification from the men’s 1,500m finals at the 2025 World Athletics Championships due to a rule violation. World Athletics officials announced Hocker obstructed fellow competitor Robert Farken in the last 50 meters of the second semi-final, leading to Farken’s loss of momentum and subsequent failure to qualify.

The incident occurred as Hocker found himself boxed in during the race’s final stretch. Instead of moving to the outside, he appeared to shove Farken, which caused a dispute post-race. Farken, visibly upset, confronted Hocker before reaching the interview area after finishing in tenth place.

In a ruling following the race, World Athletics determined that Farken, who had initially been placed outside of the automatic qualifying spots, would advance to the final, as well as South Africa’s Tshepo Tshite, who placed seventh. The U.S. team subsequently filed an appeal concerning Hocker’s disqualification, but the appeal was denied by the World Athletics jury, solidifying Hocker’s exclusion.

Hocker had entered the event as a strong medal contender, especially after his success as the defending Olympic champion. Notably, Norway’s Jakob Ingebrigtsen was also a favorite in the 1,500m event.

Earlier in the competition, Canadian runner Malleck had a fall during the semi-final but did not advance, as Athletics Canada did not file a protest related to the incident.

The 1,500m final is scheduled to take place on Wednesday night at Japan National Stadium, starting at 10:20 p.m. local time (9:20 a.m. ET).