BLACKSBURG, Va. (WDBJ) – We had an exclusive interview with Virginia Tech track and field coach Ben Thomas, who coached Cole Hocker to gold medal success in the 1,500 meters at the Paris Olympics last week.
The full interview will be streaming on the latest episode of the Hometown Sports Matter podcast.
Less than a day after his win, WDBJ7 spoke with Thomas about the incredible performance that made headlines around the world. He talked about Hocker's training and how he got to Blacksburg before competing in the most important race of his career so far.
Coach Thomas was also asked about Hocker's personal attributes. Here's what the coach had to say about the talented 23-year-old runner and their final interaction before his spectacular performance:
“He's cool and collected. Every time he does something big, I send him a GIF of Clint Eastwood or him playing Cool Cat in a Western. That's his vibe, you know? No matter how big the moment, he tends to be the coolest guy there, at least outwardly. He knows any player at this level would love it. He's only 23, so young, and he handles it so beautifully. The last thing I said to him as we were walking out was, 'I feel kind of weird. I'm not even nervous.' That's the worst thing as a coach. You have to keep everything in check. You never know what's going to happen. And he said, 'I'm not nervous either. I did everything I could. Let's have fun and shock the world.' And that's exactly what he did.”
Check out the latest episode of the Hometown Sports Extra podcast below.
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