As Cole Hocker entered the home stretch of the 1,500-meter race at the Paris Olympics, Jason Moyars jumped up from his couch and started yelling at his television, trying to teach his former high school track star something – just like he did years ago at Cathedral High School in Indianapolis.

After witnessing the nerve-wracking finish that saw Hocker win gold after fighting his way from fourth to first place in a thrilling final lap, coach Moyars couldn’t stop screaming and crying with joy.

“When I watch my former runners compete, no matter where they compete, I scream like I’m still coaching them. When I watched Cole at home, I screamed at the TV because of his pace and I cried when he won the gold medal,” Moyars told the Register. “I didn’t realize it would be this exciting during the race and I’m so proud of what he accomplished.”

The atmosphere at Cathedral High School was electric as 23-year-old Hocker crossed the finish line in an Olympic record time of 3:27.65, narrowly beating 1,500-meter world champion Josh Kerr. With the win, Hocker became the first male U.S. athlete to win a gold medal in the 1,500-meter race since 2016.

“We had about 250 spectators watching the race at Cathedral High School,” Cathedral High athletic director Rick Streiff told the Register in an email. “During the race, everyone went nuts, and of course they went really nuts.”

Hocker graduated from Cathedral High School, which is run by the Order of the Holy Cross, in 2019. While in high school, Hocker ran cross country and track all four years, winning every track and field event his senior year and setting numerous school records. After graduating, he ran track and field at the University of Oregon.

Moyars has been watching Hocker’s running since he coached the Olympic gold medalist as a rookie. From the beginning, Moyars knew Hocker had the work ethic needed to become a great athlete.

“He works very hard and never complains. I don’t think he ever questioned the workouts or the program we ran at Cathedral High School,” Moyars said. “I think his Olympic dream started before he even started running in high school. For a while, he had 3:59 on his mirror because he wanted to run a sub-four-minute mile.”

At the beginning of his freshman year, Hocker was a quiet student who rarely spoke to his teammates. But with the support of his coaches, he began to open up and grow as an individual, which allowed him to excel on the track.

Away from the track, Hocker developed into an exemplary student athlete who remained true to his principles. In the classroom, he worked hard and always tried to put his teammates first.

“As a student and athlete, Cole was always well prepared,” said John O’Hara, current head coach of Cathedral High track and field. “He was a constant professional in the classroom and on the track and always a fantastic teammate and colleague to all.”

“When Cole sets his mind to something, he gives it his all until he gets it done,” Moyars said. “But what I respect most about Cole is his humility, even though his success has grown over the years. He doesn’t talk down about others and he doesn’t talk down about other athletes. He stays out of all the bickering and arguments and just respects everyone.”

Although he is not Catholic, he participated in the prayers and his coaches told him that he leaned on God during difficult times and that Cathedral High’s Catholic tradition began to take root in his personal life.

“He prayed with the team before the race and before our meals and stuff,” Moyars said.

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

These core values ​​were evident in a post-race interview with NBC, when Hocker said, “I just felt like I was being carried by the stadium and by God.”

Although he ran the race alone, Hocker told NBC that during the race he remembered all the people who helped him make it to the Paris Olympics.

“Knowing how many people were behind me, being the only person out there on the course, but there were so many people texting me and praying for me,” Hocker said.

A congratulatory text message that Hocker received after the race was from trainer Moyars.

“After Cole graduated from Cathedral High School, our relationship developed into a friendship. We still text each other every few weeks; I go to different track meets to see him, and we occasionally go out to eat together,” Moyars said. “So after the race, like I always do when I see him on TV, I texted him saying, ‘Congratulations, great job. I’m so proud of you.'”

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

“Cole replied, ‘Thank you, coach, you helped me get this far and thank you for all your support,'” Moyars said.

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

“It’s incredible that one of my former athletes won a gold medal. I probably didn’t realize he actually won until two or three days ago,” Moyars said. “It’s incredible to be able to say that I helped that person on their way to the gold medal, but if someone asked me what I did, I would say I’m just a small piece of the puzzle to get them to where they are today. I would hardly take credit for that.”

At Cathedral High, the school still celebrates Hocker’s victory – and will for quite some time. Coaches hope that current student-athletes can look to Hocker as a role model and see the importance of a strong work ethic and faith in God.

“I think Cole’s win will have a huge impact on our school,” O’Hara said. “Not only will he inspire the athletics program, but I hope his story will inspire all of the students at Cathedral High School.”