Cooper Lutkenhaus, the 17-year-old American, has become track and field's youngest world champion after winning the 800m indoor gold in March. He followed that with a victory against a top-class field in his first Diamond League race in Stockholm, where his rivals were quick to praise him. Marco Arop, the 2023 world champion, called him a 'special talent', while Britain's Jake Wightman, a former 1500m world champion, highlighted his speed and maturity.
Lutkenhaus set a personal best of 1min 42.27sec at the US trials last year, described by coach Steve Magness as 'the most impressive athletic feat in history'. Despite the accolades, Lutkenhaus remains modest but ambitious. 'You want to win as many titles as you can and have the records,' he said. 'But I also want people to look at me as someone that helped change the sport.'
Lutkenhaus attributes his success partly to his blue-collar upbringing. 'I come from a place where everyone likes to work hard and a family that likes to work hard,' he explained. He wakes at 6am to train before school and played multiple sports including wrestling, American football and basketball until he was 15, when he first realised his potential by running 1:49 for the 800m.
His manager, Brad Yewer, notes that better coaching is contributing to the rise of teenage talent in track and field. Lutkenhaus studies old races on YouTube, particularly David Rudisha's world record run at the 2012 Olympics. 'Once you hit the bell lap, it's time to go,' he said. 'Because that's where you make or break a race.'
