Aussie star Ollie Hoare’s call for a clean 1500m race in Paris after rough pre-Olympic meets

Aussie star Ollie Hoare has called for his rivals to produce a clean 1500m race in Paris, as meets get physical in the lead up to the Games.

Australia's Oliver Hoare celebrates after winning the Men's Emsley Carr Mile event during the IAAF Diamond League athletics meeting at the London stadium in London on July 20, 2024. (Photo by BENJAMIN CREMEL / AFP)

Commonwealth champion Olli Hoare has a message for his rivals: “We’re runners not wrestlers”.

The 1500m event has been plagued by incidents throughout the season and in four Diamond League events which the Australian has competed in there have been falls in three of them.

At the London Diamond League, which was the last meet before Paris, three runners went down inside the first 30m of the Emsley Carr Mile which Hoare ended up winning.

And with anxiety levels going up another level at the Olympic Games, Hoare is preparing for some rough house tactics in the chase for gold.

“Three out of the four Diamond Leagues there have been falls, I think it’s an Olympic year and the boys are getting a bit antsy,” Hoare said.

Australian Ollie Hoare avoided a controversial collision and fall to win the Emsley Carr Mile at the London Diamond League.

“I also think people aren’t afraid to try to get in position early in the race and people are just fighting for the same spot just behind the leaders.

“It’s a bit rough out there but luckily I’m a bit of a tall guy, it’s hard to knock me over really. I got a bit of a knock in London but I was able to keep my own and I got my achilles gashed in Monaco after a fall.

“In general there have been a lot more falls this year so I’m hoping the Olympics are going to be a lot cleaner. The races have been quite heavy, there were 17 in that mile race which is a lot and it won’t be like at the Olympics.

“It’s been unusual and hopefully it doesn’t continue because we are runners not wrestlers.”

After injury ruined his season last year and forced him to miss the world championships in Budapest, the 27-year-old is peaking at the right time for his second Olympic Games.

Before his London win, Hoare recorded his quickest time of the season, 3min31.07sec, when finishing a close seventh at the Monaco Diamond League behind Norwegian superstar Jakob Ingebrigtsen.

“My coach (Dathan Ritzenhein) was looking to try and do two high quality races back-to-back which is why we did Monaco into London,” Hoare said.

Ollie Hoare calls for a clean 1500m race in Paris. Picture: Ben Hoskins/Getty Images

“It was about really mentally and physically preparing for races of that kind of statue, it gave me really good resilience and tactics as well competing against those guys.

“It was great to win a Diamond League because there aren’t too many people who get to say they’ve won a Diamond League.

“Leading into Paris, it gives me lots of confidence and makes me feel like I’m in a good spot with my training and mental preparation.”

The men’s 1500m looms as one of the most intriguing races of the Games with defending champion Ingebrigtsen looking to strike back after being beaten in the past two world championships finals by Great Britain runners, Josh Kerr last year and Jake Wightman in 2022.

Hoare, who has his career breakthrough in winning the gold medal at the 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games, will be joined by King Island’s Stewart McSweyn and Adam Spencer in the 1500m.

Originally published as Aussie star Ollie Hoare’s call for a clean 1500m race in Paris after rough pre-Olympic meets