As Cole Hocker entered the final stretch of the Paris Olympics’ 1,500-meters race, Jason Moyars shot up from his couch and began yelling at his TV, trying to coach his former high-school track star — just as he did years ago at Cathedral High School in Indianapolis. 

After witnessing the nail-biting finish, where Hocker won gold after moving from fourth place to first place in an exhilarating final lap, Coach Moyars could not stop shouting and crying with joy.  

“When I watch my former runners compete wherever they’re competing, I yell as if I’m still coaching them. While I watched Cole at home, I was yelling at the TV about his pacing, and I did cry after he won the gold medal,” Moyars told the Register. “I could not have guessed that there would be the excitement during the race, and I am so proud of what he accomplished.”  

At Cathedral High School, the atmosphere was electric as 23-year-old Hocker crossed the finish line with an Olympic record of 3:27.65, barely beating out the 1,500-meters world champion, Josh Kerr. With the victory, Hocker became the first U.S. male athlete to achieve a gold medal in the 1,500-meters race since 2016. 

“We had approximately 250 people watching the race at Cathedral High School,” Rick Streiff, Cathedral High’s athletic director, told the Register in an email. “Everybody went absolutely nuts during the race, and, of course, they went really crazy.” 

Hocker graduated from Cathedral High School, run by the Holy Cross order, in 2019. While a student, Hocker ran cross country and track all four years, winning every track competition his senior year and setting numerous school records. After graduation, he ran track at the University of Oregon. 

Moyars has been watching Hocker run since he coached the Olympic gold medalist as a freshman. From the beginning, Moyars knew that Hocker had the work ethic to be a great athlete.  

“He’s a very hard worker, and he never complains. I don’t think he ever questioned any of the workouts or the program that we ran at Cathedral High School,” Moyars said. “I believe that his Olympic dream started before he even began running in high school. He had 3:59 written up on his mirror for a while because he wanted to hit a mile under four minutes.”  

Entering into his freshman year, Hocker was a quiet student, rarely talking to his teammates. But with the support of his coaches, he began to open up and grow as an individual, allowing him to excel on the track. 

Off the track, Hocker became a model student-athlete, holding fast to his principles. In the classroom, he applied himself and always sought to put his teammates first. 

“As a student and as an athlete, Cole was always prepared,” John O’Hara, Cathedral High’s current track and field head coach, said. “He was a constant pro in the classroom and on the track and was always a fantastic teammate and peer to all.” 

“When Cole sets his mind to do something, he will give it his all until he hits it,” Moyars said. “But the one thing I respect the most from Cole is how humble he is as his success has grown through the years. He doesn’t talk bad about anyone else, and he doesn't talk trash to any other athletes. He stays out of all of the bickering and the arguments and just respects everybody.”  

Though he is not Catholic, he did participate in prayers, and his coaches shared that he leaned on God during difficult times and that the Catholic tradition of Cathedral High began to take root in his personal life. 

“He would pray with the team before the race and before our meals and things,” Moyars said.  

“I would like to think that our core values made an impression on him,” Streiff said.  

Those core values were on display during a post-race interview with NBC as Hocker said, “I just felt like I was getting carried by the stadium and God.”  

Though he ran the race alone, Hocker shared with NBC how, during the race, he recalled all of the people who had helped him reach the Paris Olympics.  

“Just knowing how many people were behind me, it was just me out there on the track, but there were so many people that texted me and were praying for me,” Hocker said.  

One congratulatory text Hocker received post-race was from Coach Moyars.  

“Once Cole graduated from Cathedral High School, our relationship continued to grow into a friendship. We still text back and forth every several weeks; I will go to watch him in different track competitions, and we have dinner occasionally,” Moyars said. “So after the race, as I always do when I watch him on TV, I sent it to him, a text saying, ‘Congratulations, a job well done. So proud of you.’” 

And Hocker responded shortly thereafter, thanking Moyars for his continued support. 

“Cole responded back, ‘Thanks, Coach, you’ve helped me on the way to get to this point, and thank you for all your support,’” Moyars said. 

As he received the text, Moyars still couldn’t believe that his former high-school track star was now an Olympic champion.  

“It’s amazing to have one of my former athletes win a gold medal; it probably just sunk in about two or three days ago — that he actually won,” Moyars said. “It is amazing to say that I helped this person on their way to achieve the gold medal, but if somebody would ask me what I did, I would say that I’m just a small puzzle piece in getting him to where he is today; I wouldn’t take hardly any credit for it.”  

At Cathedral High, the school is still celebrating Hocker’s victory — and will be for some time. The coaches hope that current student-athletes will be able to look to Hocker as a model and see the importance of having a strong work ethic and faith in God. 

“I think Cole’s victory will have a great impact on our school,” O’Hara said. “Not only will it inspire the track and field program, but I hope that his story will also inspire all of the students at Cathedral High School.”