Cole Hocker edged fellow Olympians Yared Nuguse and Nico Young by three and four hundredths of a second to win the U.S. indoor men’s 3000m title, extending his perfect USA Track and Field Indoor Championships record.
Hocker, the Olympic 1500m gold medalist and world outdoor 5000m champion, overtook Nuguse and Young in the final lap in Staten Island, New York, on Saturday.
He clocked 7:39.25, just ahead of Nuguse (7:39.28) and Young (7:39.29). Video of the finish is here.
Nationals is a qualifying meet for the World Indoor Championships in Poland from March 20-22. Nations can qualify up to two spots per individual event at worlds, plus a possible third if an athlete earned a World Indoor Tour wild card.
USATF INDOORS: Results
“It was just staying attached to both Yared and Nico,” Hocker said. “I know both of them are such good finishers. It was just staying connected to them because only two go (to worlds), so I needed one of them.”
Hocker is undefeated in his USATF Indoor Championships career, sweeping the 1500m and 3000m in 2022 and winning the 1500m again in 2024.
Two weeks ago, Hocker broke Nuguse’s American record in the indoor mile, running 3:45.94 to lower the record by .69.
Hocker and Nuguse are also entered in the 1500m at USATF Indoors on Sunday (live on NBC and Peacock from 1-3 p.m. ET).
Also Saturday, two-time world outdoor champion Chase Jackson broke the American women’s indoor shot put record by throwing 20.44 meters. Jackson shared the previous record of 20.21 with 2016 Olympic gold medalist Michelle Carter. Jackson owns the outdoor American record of 20.76.
Zach Bradford won the pole vault with a 6.01-meter clearance, becoming the eighth American to clear six meters indoors or outdoors.
Emily Mackay won the women’s 3000m in a championship record 8:30.01, overtaking fellow Olympian Elle St. Pierre on the final lap.
The 60m hurdles titles were won by Dylan Beard (7.37 seconds), who made headlines last year by making the World Outdoor Championships team while working part-time at Walmart, and Alia Armstrong (7.82). Olympic gold medalists Grant Holloway and Masai Russell were not in the fields.
Charity Hufnagel cleared 1.96 meters to win the women’s high jump, snapping runner-up Vashti Cunningham’s streak of nine consecutive national indoor titles.
The USATF Indoor Championships conclude Sunday, featuring Olympic 100m gold medalist Noah Lyles in the men’s 60m.
