SAINT-DENIS, France – It was not all Cole Hocker. His gold medal was one of 14, his medal one of 34.

When he won and set an Olympic record in the 1,500 meters, the fire that was U.S. track and field was already burning. Hocker threw kerosene on it.

In the immediate aftermath, 100-meter bronze medalist Fred Kerley tweeted:

“Cole you did that (expletive).”

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Those on the team kept inspiring each other, none more so than the Indianapolis miler. Rai Benjamin, an informal team captain, spoke to NBC in a post-race interview and said he was hoarse because he had been yelling during Hocker’s race.

“I think watching Cole, it sparks a national pride in you,” Bryce Hoppel said. “It's pretty cool stuff to see everyone doing incredible. We have an incredible culture back in the (Olympic) Village and team lounge right now.”

Hoppel went on to finish fourth in the 800 meters, the only individual track event in which U.S. men did not medal. He set an American record of 1:41.67. If grades were handed out, he gets an “A.”

The thing is, there were so many “A+” grades at the Paris Olympics.

For each of nine nights inside Stade de France, 77,000 fans turned the venue into a mound of sound, an environment unlike any in the United States except perhaps for Penn Relays. U.S. athletes reveled in it.

"I feel like this Olympic Games we were connected as a team, and we fed off each other's energy,” said Benjamin, a gold medalist in the 400-meter hurdles and 4x400 relay.

A case could be made this was the best performance ever by a U.S. team in this sport at an Olympic Games. Americans collected 34 medals — 14 gold, 11 silver, nine bronze.

It was the most on foreign soil since 42 at Stockholm 1912. Those were Jim Thorpe’s Olympics. So yeah, a long time ago.

The United States won 40 medals in 1984 and 35 in 1932, both at Los Angeles, and against weaker global competition. Sixteen nations earned medals in 1932, and 43 in 2024.

Next up: Los Angeles 2028.

American men medaled at every distance from 1,500 meters and up, something they had not done since 1904 — when the only distances were 1,500 and steeplechase, won by James Lightbody of Muncie. The United States won golds in all four hurdles races, an unprecedented feat.

It was a triumph for USA Track & Field, a national governing body based in Indianapolis, even if this wasn’t all USATF. The sport isn’t wholly dependent on the NGB, with college and high school systems, coaches, training groups and sponsors all contributing.

Gold rush! Indiana athletes win more gold at Paris Olympics than Spain, Canada, Brazil.

Yet sometimes, the best thing an organization can do is not mess up things.

On Instagram, Hocker thanked those reaching out to him and supporting him in his running career.

“This is not just for me but for all of you,” he posted. “I hope this can inspire many the same way I was inspired by all of the great American runners before me. To share the podium with fellow American (Yared Nuguse) just makes it that much sweeter.”

Hocker’s season is not over. Soon after his run to gold, he and his coach, Ben Thomas, left for training sessions at Lucerne, Switzerland.

Hocker has an Aug. 22 rematch scheduled against Norway’s Jakob Ingebrigtsen in a duel of Paris gold medalists at Lausanne. Ingebrigsten won the 5,000 meters. Oddly, Hocker has an Olympic gold medal but no wins in the Diamond League, the sport’s premier circuit.

It is not out of the question for Lausanne organizers to arrange pacemakers setting up an attempt to break the 1,500-meter world record of 3:26.00, held since 1998 by Morocco’s Hicham El Guerrouj.

On July 12, Ingebrigtsen clocked 3:26.73, fastest time in the world since 2015. Hocker’s Olympic record was 3:27.65, making him No. 7 on the all-time world list.

Hocker is set to race Sept. 5 in Zurich and perhaps Sept. 13-14 in the Diamond League final at Brussels.

Contact IndyStar correspondent David Woods at dwoods1411@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter: @DavidWoods007.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Cole Hocker gold medal a highlight of USA Track and Field dominance