Noah Lyles, USA Fans in Disbelief After Epic 1,500M Photo Finish

The men's 1,500-meter final on Tuesday, August 6 turned in one of the more epic finishes of the 2024 Summer Olympics. And for the United States, it was also a historic one.

American Cole Hocker pulled off a major upset, surpassing Great Britain's reigning world champion Josh Kerr and Norway's reigning Olympic champion Jakob Ingebrigtsen in the final meters to secure the gold medal.

Hocker, who set a new Olympic record time of 3:27:65, even caught the attention of fellow Paris gold medalist sprinter Noah Lyles.

"That was an amazing 1500! Cole Hocker you Got me screaming my head off!," Lyles wrote.

"OH MY GOD. COLE HOCKER IS YOUR OLYMPIC CHAMPION. WHAT THE HELL JUST HAPPENED. EPIC RACE," one fan wrote on X.

Hocker's teammate, Yared Nuguse (3:27:80), also mounted a fierce comeback to secure the bronze medal. Team USA's Hobbs Kessler (3:29:45) finished fifth overall. Both men posted personal best times.

According to the official USA Track & Field account , it marks the first time two American men have made the podium in the 1,500 final.

The U.S. (79 medals) entered the day leading the overall medal count by a wide margin, leading China (53) and France (48).

With only five days remaining until the Closing Ceremony, Hocker and Nuguse's new hardware brings the U.S. even closer to securing the No. 1 spot.