Olympic 1500m Champion Cole Hocker Disqualified at World Championships in Tokyo

American Cole Hocker, the defending Olympic champion in the men's 1,500m, was disqualified from the World Athletics Championships semifinal for violating the jostling rule after making contact with German runner Robert Farken in the final 50 meters. Hocker was boxed in and attempted to create space by pushing past Farken, which disrupted Farken's momentum and caused him to miss automatic qualification. Despite finishing second in the heat, Hocker's appeal against the disqualification was rejected by the World Athletics jury. As a result, Farken was granted a spot in the final along with South Africa's Tshepo Tshite, who originally finished seventh. The disqualification removes a strong medal favorite from the final, which now features other top runners including Britain's Jake Wightman and Josh Kerr. The men's 1,500m final is scheduled for Wednesday night in Tokyo.