How God Carried Team USA Track Star to Surprise Gold
By Movieguide® Contributor
Team USA long-distance runner Cole Hocker says God helped him take home gold after a surprise win in the men’s 1500-meter event at the Paris Olympics.
“Cole Hocker of the United States shocked the favorites to win the men’s 1500 in a personal best and Olympic record time of 3 minutes, 27.65 seconds, passing Jakob Ingebrigtsen of Norway and then Josh Kerr of Great Britain in the final 100 meters to cross the finish line first,” Crosswalk Headlines reported.
A MONUMENTAL upset in the men’s 1500m final as AMERICAN COLE HOCKER takes down the favorites to win GOLD! 🥇 #ParisOlympicspic.twitter.com/PzMPyJ5sPS
— NBC Sports (@NBCSports) August 6, 2024
After the race, Hocker told NBC, “I just saw, obviously, Kerr and Ingebrigtsen just battling, kind of having their own battle. And I knew that in my head that they were so focused on each other.”
He found a spot to pass his opponents and “just let God carry me through the finish line.”
When he crossed the finish line, Hocker “had the vivid thought of how my life just changed, and I can’t even process that right now.”
The athlete has always seen running as a platform from God.
“The reason I run is because I have a God-given talent,” he said in 2021.
“I just feel God has given me the gift of running, and my job is to give it my best,” he told The Criterion newspaper. “On top of that, because I’ve been given that, I want to take advantage of it. And it’s more gratifying because of how hard I have worked.”
He’s open about his faith on social media, too, posting James 1:2-4 last fall.
The verse reads:
Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters,whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.
Movieguide® previously reported on another Olympian who gave God the glory for his gold medal:
On Sunday, after Serbian Novak Djokovic won Gold in his match against Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz, Djokovic kneeled over in a posture of praise before making the sign of the cross and lifting his hands to God.
After the match, a reporter asked him, ”What should you gain in the court tomorrow?”
The 37-year-old pulled out a cross necklace from beneath his shirt, lifted it and said, “That’s it.” He then kissed the necklace, and said, “That’s what you should gain. Pray to God. Everything will be ok.”
He later said, “I’m super-grateful to win a historic gold medal for my country, to complete the Golden Slam, to complete all the records.”
With 24 Grand Slam wins, Djokovic holds the record for the most Slam titles in men’s tennis. He’s been a pro player since he was 16 years old.
