Olympic gold medalist Cole Hocker was disqualified after his World Championships 1500m semifinal for jostling in the final 100 meters of Monday’s race.
A USA Track and Field appeal of the DQ was denied by a jury, meaning Hocker will not be in Wednesday’s final.
“We are disappointed by the decision to disqualify Olympic champion Cole Hocker from the 1500 meter final,” USA Track and Field said in a statement. “We believed we had grounds for an appeal and unfortunately, that appeal was denied.”
About an hour after his semifinal, Hocker was listed as disqualified on the world broadcast feed.
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The ruling was shown over a clip of Hocker squeezing between German Robert Farken and Dutchman Stefan Nillessen — making contact with Farken’s arm, and possibly Nillessen’s — to secure a top-six finish needed to reach Wednesday’s final.
Hocker originally finished second in the semifinal, with Nillessen in ninth and Farken in 10th. When Hocker was disqualified, Farken was advanced to the final.
“Obviously, I’m not trying to affect anyone else’s race,” Hocker said in analyzing the race, before the DQ ruling came down. “I was just trying to get to the line in that top-six position, obviously, like everyone else was. I would have liked to have it a little bit cleaner, but it was what it was.”
Wednesday’s 1500m final includes U.S. champion Jonah Koech, plus defending world champion Josh Kerr of Great Britain and Dutchman Niels Laros, the 2025 Diamond League champion.
Hocker is still entered at Worlds in the 5000m, an event he won at the USA Track and Field Outdoor Championships. The first round is Friday.
