EUGENE, Ore. — On a day when one University of Oregon gold medalist had to pull out of the U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials, another Ducks miler looked poised to make a run at an Olympic podium, too.
Matthew Centrowitz, 34, posted on social media he had to pull out of the trials because of a hamstring injury. He surely was not going to make the team going to the Paris Olympics, but Hayward Field fans would have loved to see Centro on the track again.
They surely loved what they saw from Cole Hocker, too.
In the first round of the 1,500 meters Friday, he nearly broke Centrowitz’s trials record from 2016 — the year Centro was Olympic champion at Rio de Janeiro.
"It was about as good a day as I could have asked for," Hocker said. "Coming off of it, feeling like I did not have to dig deeper than I wanted to."
Hocker led his heat from the first few steps, then distanced himself farther with a closing 400 of 57.73 seconds. He looked over his shoulder to make sure he was safely ahead.
He was.
Hocker's time was 3:34.34, compared to 3:34.09 by Centrowitz in 2016. Hocker famously beat Centrowitz at the 2021 trials, putting his finger to his lips as he crossed the finish as if to silence any critics.
Semifinals are Saturday and the final Monday night.
"I mean, Hocker almost ran a trials record," said Eric Holt, another contender to make the team. "That's insane."
Also moving on in the 1,500 were NCAA runner-up Elliott Cook of Oregon (3:37.78) and UO alum Cooper Teare (3:38.74). They were each fifth in their respective heats.
Hocker was sixth at the 2021 Olympics and seventh at the 2023 World Championships. He won his first global medal, a silver, in March’s World Indoor Championships at Glasgow, Scotland. He felt at home here because he was home, having won three NCAA titles for the Ducks in 2021.
"The name of the game is to get through round 1, round 2 unscathed," Hocker said. "Day 3 is the one that matters the most. These two matter, too, though."
Hocker is also entered in heats of the 5,000 Thursday, which would be three days after the 1,500 final.
In Friday's lone final, University of Portland graduate Woody Kincaid made his second Olympic team, finishing second to Grant Fisher in the 10,000 meters.
Fisher ran the closing 1,200 meters in 3:00.92, a time that would merit selection to lot of college teams in that leg of the distance medley relay. Except he had first run 22 laps.
Fisher finished in 27:49.47 and the 31-year-old Kincaid in 27:50.74. Collegian Nico Young of Northern Arizona claimed the third spot in 27:50.74.
Those three were the only ones in the field to have met the Olympic qualifying standard anyway, but this 10K was a genuine race and not a time trial featuring wavelights and pacesetters.
"I went early, squeezed 'em down, it was nice and hot," Fisher said. "I mean, good prep for Paris."
In other heats, UO alumna Jenna Prandini (11.03) and Ducks collegian Jaydn Mays (11.07/wind-aided) advanced to semifinals of the 100 meters and UO grad Raevyn Rogers to semis of the 800 with a season-best 2:01.73.
In heats of the men's 400 meters, 16-year-old Quincy Wilson of Gaithersburg, Md., ran a time of 44.66, a world under-18 and national high school record.
Semifinals in the 400 are Sunday.
Contact KGW correspondent David Woods at dwoods1411@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter: @DavidWoods007.