This year’s World Championships haven’t been kind to the Americans. From Noah Lyles to Sha’Carri Richardson, defending champions have struggled to hold their ground. And just when things couldn’t get worse, Cole Hocker’s shocking disqualification hit like a thunderbolt. The Olympic champion, a strong favorite for a podium finish in the 1500m, had safely qualified for the finals, only to be ruled out after officials claimed his jolt against Germany’s Robert Farken impeded progress. Now, with U.S. administrators appealing the controversial call in Japan, the American public isn’t staying silent either.

Olympic Champion Cole Hocker looked set for a spot at the 1500m finale, crossing the line second, making sure that he made it to the summit. However, his celebration was short-lived as just an hour later, drama unfolded as officials disqualified him for a jostling violation. So, what exactly happened? Charging down the final straight, Hocker was a caged lion with no escape as he was boxed in between Robert Farken and Stefan Nillessen. As he was looking for a way to squeeze through, he witnessed a gap between Farken and Nillessen. Well, without a single thought, he went in as his shoulder brushed Farken, knocking the German off stride and killing his momentum.

His bold move propelled him into second place, but it came at a cost; he was slapped with a disqualification under World Athletics Rule TR17.1.2(J). The rule, which covers jostling, penalizes any physical contact that either disrupts a rival or grants an unfair edge. After the broadcast released his DQ news, USATF took matters into their own hands as they protested the decision. In their statement, the USATF admin stated, “We are disappointed by the decision to disqualify Olympic champion Cole Hocker from the 1500 meter final. We believed we had grounds for an appeal, and unfortunately, that appeal was denied.”

USATF isn’t the only one pushing for change. Determined athlete Landon Fluckiger has launched a petition on Change.org, blasting the ruling as a “terrible decision” and demanding an immediate review. So far, the petition has gained 32 signatures. The description stated, “As a devoted optimist to the success of track & field, I was deeply disheartened to learn about his disqualification in the men’s 1500m second round at the World Athletic Championships.”

He further added, “An athlete who has consistently shown dedication and remarkable talent was disqualified for alleged ‘jostling’ – a decision that many of us find questionable and unrepresentative of the sport’s competitive spirit.” Landon Fluckiger, being an athlete himself, knows exactly how it feels to give your all and still fall short. This season, he’s already run the 5000m twice, finishing in 16:30.8 at the SCUC Invitational and then smashing his personal record with an impressive 15:36.0 at the Marcus Coach T Invitational.

Tokyo’s administrators have rejected USATF’s appeal, yet a sliver of hope remains before the finals. The question now is, will Landon’s petition gather enough signatures to spark change? For the moment, it’s anyone’s guess. Let’s turn to the athlete himself and see what he thinks of the ruling.

Cole Hocker was astonished at the decision

After the disqualification, Hocker was confused as well as furious, but he acknowledged the incident. He stated that he had not intended to interfere with anyone’s race. He revealed, “Obviously, I’m not trying to affect anyone else’s race. I was just trying to get to the line in that top six position like everyone else. I would have liked it to be a little bit cleaner, but it was what it was.” The Olympic winner admitted that the move was risky, and he did not intend to do that; he might have chosen a different strategy.

Well, Hocker was not the only one who was furious, as the entire nation was angry about the incident as well. Former 1500m world champion Steve Cram, while having a conversation with the BBC, stated, “The Americans will counter-protest. They are sitting behind us and are absolutely miffed. That is the Olympic champion, it’s not good for the sport because we’d love him to be in there [the final].”

He further added, “But on the other hand, Hocker panicked there. He did impede the German athlete, Farken, who had advanced to the final. We’ll probably get up tomorrow and find that the Americans have counter-appealed. But at the moment, he’s not in.” This disqualification highlights just how unforgiving the World Championship rules can be. Will it be overturned? Only time will tell, but efforts are already underway.