Athletics: Reaction from men’s 1500m final
We’ve been hearing from the gold and silver medallists, Cole Hocker of USA and Josh Kerr of Great Britain.
"That’s an unbelievable feeling. I just felt like I was getting carried by the stadium and God. My body just kind of did it for me. My mind was all there and I saw that finish line," Hocker said.
"Winning gold was my goal this entire year. I wrote that down and I repeated it to myself even if I didn’t believe it. My performances showed me that I was capable of running 3:27, whatever it took. I knew I was a medal contender, and I knew that if I get it right, it would be a gold medal. I’ve been saying that."
As for Kerr, he can be satisfied with silver.
"I just had to wait, I was gonna wait for 120 to go, did that and got pushed out obviously into lane two or three and that was the story on the inside.
"So look, fastest run ever in British history, fastest run, best 1500 m performance I’ve put together so can’t walk away with anything but being proud.
"You know, I won all my battles today. I just didn’t quite get the medal I was looking for, but it’s progress, bronze to silver."
And what of Jakob Ingebrigtsen, the defending champion who finished fourth?
"I opened with a 54-second lap. That wasn’t the plan at all, it was at least two seconds too fast," he admitted. "I was thinking about slowing down, but the next lap was almost the same speed. I ruined it for myself by going way too hard."
