Fresh off of his stunning win in the men’s 1,500m final at the Paris Olympics, Cole Hocker was announced on Wednesday as the latest addition to the Grand Slam Track roster along with Yared Nuguse.
The signings means that the podium finishers will all be racing for the new league, which was announced by track legend Michael Johnson in February. Details of the league tricked out in June and Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone made headlines as the first athlete to sign with Grand Slam Track.
Josh Kerr won silver in the men’s 1,500m final in Paris and was the second athlete to join the league. This sets up a repeat showdown that will feature him, Hocker and Nuguse competing at least four times in 2025 — in each of the planned events.
“As we all saw this summer, the metric mile is back,” Johnson said, “Everyone watching the 1500m final in Paris was blown away by the drama of that race, with Cole and Yared ultimately taking home Gold and Bronze. Adding both of them to our stable of Racers, including Silver-medalist Josh Kerr, gives us the incredibly exciting confirmation of seeing that Olympic final again four times in 2025.”
Hocker has had a standout year after an impressive win in the 1,500m at trials in June followed by his shocking win with a late kick past Jakob Ingebrigtsen in Paris.
“It’s truly an honor for me to sign with Grand Slam Track, and I’m unbelievably excited for the future of this league,” Hocker said. “To have someone like Michael Johnson leading the way for our sport is amazing, and it’s clear the sky’s the limit for GST. The opportunity to race against the fastest men in the world, like Yared and Josh, four times a year at our Slams, gives us as racers the chance to continue to challenge ourselves, and entertain fans across the globe.”
Nuguse took bronze in the 1,500m final in Paris and confirmed that he was committed to helping elevated to level of competition in the sport with his signing to the league.
“Joining Grand Slam Track was an easy decision for me because it does so much for our sport and the athletes,” Nuguse said. “This represents a huge investment in taking our sport to the next level, and allowing millions of track fans to see us race on a far more regular basis. Additionally, it’s much more fun for the athletes to be racing more often against consistently good competition.”
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(Photo by Petr David Josek/Associated Press)
