It was indeed an expletive-worthy moment at the Paris Games.
Cole Hocker of Team USA captured gold in the men’s 1500 meter race in a stunning upset at the Stade de France on Tuesday, and his father, Kyle, was one of many spectators utterly stunned by the dramatic finish.
Amid a priceless reaction of shock and pride, Kyle Hocker was seen mouthing “what the f—k,” as his son emerged from the middle of the pack with a huge final push, flying past the forecasted frontrunners Josh Kerr of Britain and Norway’s Jakob Ingebrigsten.
Ingebrigsten, the 2021 gold medalist in Tokyo, led for a majority of the race, but Hocker and Kerr pushed to the front during a tight-knit final lap around the purple track.
Kerr was ahead of the pack in the final stretch, but the Indianapolis native surged past him in the adjacent lane.
Hocker clocked in at 3:37.65, setting a new Olympic record and a career best by nearly three seconds.
The American runner, who finished sixth place in the same event at the Tokyo Games, went from mid-tier to third and then first in a matter of seconds.
“I’m still looking for words to describe that moment,” Hocker said, per NPR. “I felt the moment. I felt the magnitude of it.”
While the 23-year-old’s finish had nearly everyone, including his own family, in total disbelief, American fans erupted in excitement.
“This may be an upset to a lot of people, but if you’ve been following my season, you knew I was capable of it,” Hocker, who earned the silver at the 2024 World Championships, told reporters. “But still, things had to go my way today.
Kerr finished second, and Ingebrigsten came in fourth, shy of medal contention.
Team USA notched two medals in the event, as Hocker’s compatriot Yared Nuguse finished third for bronze.