Pace Setter : October 2024

My Top Memories of the Paris Olympics

I always have enjoyed watching the summer Olympics, and Paris was one of the all-time bests, at least on the track. Here are my thoughts on the top five performers: 

COLE HOCKER (23)

Where Matt Centrowitz’s 1500 meter Gold at Rio in 2016 was primarily due to a super slow race which turned it into a slog and kick, this year’s 1500 meter win by upstart Cole Hocker was legit. The pre-race heavy favorites were Norwegian Jakob Ingebrigtsen and Great Britain’s Josh Kerr and Ingebrigtsen made it an honest race from the gun. 

On the final turn, Cole made a move on the rail, but was blocked at first by Ingebrgtsen, who then moved out slightly to fight with Kerr, which opened up the inside lane for Hocker to explode home for the win. His time of 3:27.65 was not only a big PR but an Olympic record as he led the USA to a surprising 1-3 podium finish. 

It was only the USA’s fourth Olympic Gold Medal in the metric mile (the first two were in 1904 in St. Louis and 1912 in London). 

Hocker, an Indiana native was a high school Foot Locker cross country champion in 2018 and won four NCAA titles for the Oregon Ducks.

GRANT FISHER (27)

What a surprising Olympics for Fisher, grabbing bronze medals in both the 5k and 10k with excellent strategy of sitting off the front pack and blistering last laps in both races to hit the podium. It’s rare indeed for an American to medal in either of track’s longest events let alone both! Grant Fisher is our first ever to medal in both!

Fisher was born in Calgary, Canada but grew up in Michigan and attended Stanford University where he was a 12 time All American. As did Hocker, Fisher won the Foot Locker cross country title, his in 2014 season.

SIFAN HASSAN (31)

It would have been hard for Hassan to match her performance at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, where she won the 5k and 10k and finished third in the 1500. At Paris, she continued to show off her tremendous range. At first she considered running the 1500, 5k, 10k, and marathon but eventually chose just the three longer races.

After earning bronze medals in both the 5k and 10k, she dazzled in the marathon holding off Ethiopian Tigst Assafa in 2:22:55 for the Gold! Assafa and Hassan briefly bumped with 200 meters to go but no foul was called. To my eyes Assafa actually interfered with Hassan, not vice versa.

Her Olympic accomplishments came on the heels of twin marathon victories in London and Chicago in 2023, the latter in 2:13:44, the second fastest women’s marathon ever. 

Born in Ethiopia, Hassan arrived in the Netherlands as a refugee at the age of 15 and became a Dutch citizen in 2013.

SYDNEY McLAUGHLIN-LEVRONE (25)

The Queen of the track, Sydney reigned supreme in Paris winning two Gold medals and breaking her own World Record in the 400 meter hurdles in a breath-taking performance running 50.37, a time most world class athletes can’t even run on a flat track!

Topping off her amazing Games, Sydney blew open the 4 x 400 meter relay with a 47.71 second leg leading the USA to an Olympic Gold Medal. The World Record in the 400 is 47.60.

McLaughlin won Gold in both events in Tokyo as well.

McLaughlin was born in New Jersey and competed collegiately at Kentucky for one year before becoming a professional track athlete. 

FEMKE BOL (24)

If it weren’t for McLaughlin-Levrone, the games may have belonged to Bol. The Netherland native wowed the crowd in the 4 x 400 mixed gender relay with an incredible 48.00 anchor leg, bringing the Dutch from fourth to first. With 200 meters to go she was still 25 meters off the pace before blistering the final 200 meters.

Bol added a Silver medal to her mixed Gold medal, anchoring the Dutch women’s 4 x 4 relay in 48.62 to secure second place.

In the 400 meter hurdles she earned a bronze medal in 52.15.

Let’s hope the LA Games of 2028 can match the excitement we saw in Paris 2024!

Mark Mindel is a long-time runner, coach and track official. He won the Montreal Marathon in 1979 and he founded the Schenectady Stockade-athon, winning three of the first four and running the first 43 consecutively. Mark was recently inducted into the Greater Capital Region Track HOF and is currently a Fleet Feet Vikings Marathon Coach.