“I feel like I kind of carry speed with me more so than I carry the endurance,” Cole Hocker recently said. American middle- and long-distance runners are known for setting records. After all, he won gold at the 2024 Paris Olympics and set the record in 1500 m. Time? Clocked out in 3:28.65, and it was an Olympic and an area record. This is not the only one.

Most recently, on February 08, the Olympian managed to set the second fastest indoor 3000 m in history at the Millrose Games and finished in 7:23.14. Yet, with so much success, one might wonder who sets up the game for him. Who is the one who helped him reach here? Well, nothing is possible without a good mentor or coach to reach this level. So, without wasting any time, let’s know about Cole Hocker’s coach.

Meet Ben Thomas: Cole Hocker’s coach

Imagine you have graduated and are coaching the track and field team of the same college. Nostalgic, right? The same must be the feeling of Cole Hocker’s coach, Ben Thomas. He graduated from Virginia Tech in 1992 with a Bachelor of Arts in English. Though Thomas started his coaching career with E. C. Glass High School in Virginia and served for two seasons from 1992 to 1994, later in 2001 he joined Virginia Tech as head cross-country and distance coach.

While that was not the final time for him to be at Virginia Tech only, he left Virginia and joined Oregon University, where he helped Hocker to learn all the little details of track. Since then, Ben Thomas has been helping the athletes to shine on track like Cole Hocker at Oregon University. Lynchburg native Thomas also pursued post-graduation studies in education from Lynchburg College itself.

Thomas is renowned for his cutting-edge training techniques that emphasize striking a balance between speed and endurance. In middle-distance competitions, he has coached several NCAA winners and All-Americans. But what are his achievements?

Ben Thomas’ career highlights and achievements

Cole Hocker’s coach has a wide career in terms of different colleges; the maximum time he spent was in Virginia Tech, starting there in 2001 and coaching the top athletes there till 2018. But before joining his alma mater again in 2023 as a head track and field coach, Thomas joined the University of Oregon as an associate head coach from 2018 to 2022.

Ben Thomas has an extensive coaching career in track and field of more than two decades, and no doubt he has gained ultimate recognition as a coach, especially as the head coach at Virginia Tech. And Thomas had all good things to say while joining back. Pee Hokiesports, Thomas said, “I’m excited to come home to Virginia Tech and very thankful to Coach Cianelli for bringing me back.”

He also added, “I look forward to working with some great coaches and familiar faces at Virginia Tech while helping the talented student-athletes reach their considerable potential.” But it’s also important to know Cole Hocker’s coach Ben Thomas’ achievements as a coach. With Cole Hocker’s double in the mile and 3,000 meters and Charlie Hunter winning the 800 meters, Thomas’ athletes won three individual titles at the 2021 NCAA Indoor Championships.

But that wasn’t it; they also won the distance medley relay to start the competition. And together, Hunter, Teare, Reed Brown, and Xavier Nairne set a new NCAA meet record with a time of 9:19.98. This is just an achievement, but Hocker’s also won an NCAA meet record with a winning time of 3:53.71 under Thomas’ guidance. Thomas has helped athletes set records in the Olympics, NCAA, and all possible platforms. One of them was Cole Hocker’s Olympic win, but how did it feel when his mentee won gold at one of the top platforms?

How did Ben Thomas react to Cole Hocker’s historic Olympic victory?

Cole Hocker’s greatest accomplishment was undoubtedly winning the gold medal in the 1500m at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris with an incredible time of 3:27:65. All thanks to his dedication, hard work, and all the learning by Ben Thomas. These big moments give a lifetime of memories, but what did Coach Thomas say about the moment?

Well, after the win, Thomas said, “It was just such a big moment, and neither one of us are big talkers or big celebratory guys. Neither of us had the words, so we just had a nice hug before he went off to receive his medals.” Additionally, he recalled their brief conversation before Hocker was awarded his medal. He said, “I finally did just before he went out to get his gold medal, and he said, ‘Dream come true. Thanks, coach,’ and I thanked him.” 

Coach Ben Thomas also reflected on Cole Hocker’s mental and physical preparedness heading into the Olympics. Thomas said, “We knew he was ready to do something special. And then once we got here, in the first two rounds, the comfort with which he qualified and how good he was feeling.” Furthermore, he added that sometimes the pressure to win because you are the center of attraction can distract the athlete, but in Hocker’s case, it was different.

Thomas stated, “I was kind of pleasantly surprised that no one else was really still talking about him too much. So he was able to just really focus on his race and go execute. And he did that brilliantly.” The timings and the way Hocker performed at the Paris Olympics were indeed brilliant. With the Grand Slam Track around the corner, only time will tell how Cole Hocker will show up.