Alameda native Cooper Teare used a strong finish down the final stretch to win the men’s 1,500-meter race at the U.S. Outdoor Track & Field Championships Saturday, June 25 at Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore.

Teare, a member of the Nike Track & Field Team, completed the distance with a time of 3:45.86. He beat out 11 other participants and blazing temperatures on his way to victory.

The race was no sure thing for Teare, who graduated from St. Joseph Notre Dame in 2017. He was in second place after the first 800 meters of the race, according to the U.S. Track & Field database. He was in fifth place at the final turn with 200 meters left. That’s when the University of Oregon alum moved to the inside position of the track and hit another gear. Teare blew past four other runners on his way to crossing the finish line first.

Teare’s victory earned him a berth in the World Athletics Championships 1,500-meter race. The event will take place July 15 to 24, also at Hayward Field.

Teare was scheduled to compete in the 5,000-meter race at the event the day after the 1,500-meter race, according to the broadcast announcers — the event was broadcast on NBC — but he decided not take part in the race. He won the 5,000-meter race at the 2021 NCAA Track & Field Championships with a time of 13:12 on June 11, 2021 (“Alamedan Wins NCAA 5,000 Meters,” June 15, 2021). He missed qualifying for the Tokyo Olympics in the 5,000-meter competition by less than a second at the U.S. qualifiers on June 27, 2021 (“Teare Misses Olympics,” July 8).

Teare finished second in the 1,500-meter competition at the 2017 USA Track & Field Junior Outdoor Championship with a time of 3:47.89 ("Top Island Runner Takes Second in 1,500 Meters," July 6, 2017).

Teare was inducted into the St. Joseph Notre Dame’s Class of 2022 Athletic Hall of Fame on April 30 (“International Track Star Among Dozen Inducted into Hall of Fame,” May 3).