LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Louisville native Yared Nuguse won a bronze medal Tuesday in Paris, and back home at his alma mater, his former teachers and coaches cheered on their favorite U.S. Olympian.

Nuguse, the duPont Manual High School graduate who qualified for his second Olympic Games for Team USA in 2024, overcame being squeezed out by his teammate and eventual winner, Indianapolis native Cole Hocker, on the final lap before roaring to the wire late to capture a bronze medal in 1500m final.

Hocker won the race in an Olympic record 3 minutes 27.65 seconds, pulling from fifth to first over the final 300 meters to beat his personal best by more than 3 seconds. He beat Great Britain's Josh Kerr by .14 seconds.

Inside the auditorium at Manual, people were jumping in their seats watching Nuguse chase defending Olympic champion Jakob Ingebrigtsen of Norway for the medal. One of Nuguse's former assistant coaches from Manual, Jill Bickel, sat in the front row of the auditorium and was jumping in the air, saying afterward it's surreal and difficult to explain seeing a moment like this for someone you know and care about.

Men's 1500m Final

Cole Hocker, right, of the United States, runs with Josh Kerr, of Britain, and Yared Nuguse, left, of the United States, to the line to win the men's 1500-meters final at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2024, in Saint-Denis, France.(AP Photo/Petr David Josek)

"Just extreme excitement, overly emotional," Bickel said. "Elation really, and joy, mostly just because Yared, if anybody, he deserves this so much."

Nuguse, 25, advanced to the final by winning his semifinal heat after getting boxed in and having to hustle to the front late in his opening heat. He was a state champion at Manual, an NCAA Champion at Notre Dame, a North American mile and 1500-meter record holder, and came into Tuesday's race as the fourth fastest miler in history, a member of a three-member U.S. team that all made the Olympic final for the first time in 58 years.

Manual's head cross country coach Tim Holman is in Paris cheering on Nuguse while teachers and staff from Nuguse's days at Manual and Noe Middle School cheered him on from Louisville.

"I'm so excited," said Abbey Pierce, who taught Nuguse at Noe. "We've been following him, so it's really exciting to get to be with other staff members that have taught him as well and have that personal connection. Coaches from Manual and just people that know and love him to be able to support him and cheer him (on) at the same time is pretty great."

WDRB's Eric Crawford spoke to Nuguse earlier this month as he got ready to head to Paris.

Pierce said she has a daughter who enjoys running and this is a big moment. 

"Being able to show her who he is and like, 'He came from Noe, You're going to Noe,'" she said, "... It's pretty amazing." 

Bickel said Nuguse he still comes back to Manual just about every year, signing autographs and talking to the kids or participating in the alumni run.

"Most of them on the team, unless they're incoming freshmen, they've met him," Bickel said. "It's an amazing thing that he will probably come back again and talk to them."

Now, winning an Olympic medal will make moments like that even more of a celebration. 

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