Cooper Lutkenhaus (born December 19, 2008)[5] is an American professional track and field athlete who specializes in the 800 meters. He holds the world under-18 and high school record in this event, with a time of 1:42.27 set in 2025. In 2025, he also set the indoor high school record in the event with a time of 1:46.86.[6][7]
Lutkenhaus comes from a family of athletes. His father George was the Class 1A state runner-up in the 1600 meters, and his brother Andrew was fourth at the Class 5A state meet and ran 1:50.04 for third at Nike Outdoor Nationals as a high school senior in 2023.[9][10] Lutkenhaus looks up to Bryce Hoppel, who set the American record in the 800 meters at the 2024 Summer Olympics, running 1:41.67.[1]
Lutkenhaus attends Northwest High School in Justin, Texas.[11] In 2023, he joined the Nike Elite Program, a sponsorship initiative that provides mentorship, equipment, and competitive opportunities to 40 high school athletes annually.[12]
During his freshman year of high school from 2023 to 2024, Lutkenhaus finished 47th in the Class 5A cross country state meet, running 16:23.4 for 5 kilometers.[13] He went undefeated in the 800 meters, winning three national meets and a Texas Class 5A state title, which he won in 1:49.84.[1][14][15] At the Brooks PR Invitational, Lutkenhaus set a new American high school freshman record and a new Texas high school state record in the 800 meters, running 1:47.58.[16][11][17] That same season, Lutkenhaus also ran 47.33 for 400 meters.[18]
Lutkenhaus began his sophomore season in August 2024 with a personal best of 4:14.17 in the 1600 meters, finishing in a final lap of 59.1 seconds.[1]
2025: 800 meter under-18 world best
On January 24, running against collegians at the Texas Tech Invite, Lutkenhaus set a new U.S. high school sophomore record in the indoor 800 meters, running 1:50.15.[19] On February 8, Lutkenhaus competed in the professional 800 meters at the Millrose Games in New York City. He set a new indoor high school national record in the event, clocking 1:46.86, which broke Josh Hoey's previous record of 1:47.67 by almost a second.[7] On March 16, he won the 800 meters at Nike Indoor Nationals, in a meet record of 1:47.83.[20]
Lutkenhaus winning the Texas Class 6A 800 meters state title in 2025
In March, he was named the 2025 COROS MileSplit50 Indoor Athlete of the Year.[21] In May, he won the Texas Class 6A 800 meters state title, in a new outdoor personal best of 1:47.04. He also finished second in the Class 6A 400 meters, in a personal best time of 46.30.[22]
On June 8, at the Brooks PR Invitational, Lutkenhaus broke Michael Granville's 29-year-old high school record of 1:46.45 in the 800 meters, running 1:46.26.[23] Granville had previously claimed in 2024 that Lutkenhaus had the ability to break his record, and that Lutkenhaus has the talent to run 1:44 in the event before graduating high school.[1][24] On June 21, he improved his record to 1:45.45 at Nike Outdoor Nationals.[25]
On July 31, at the 2025 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships, with a time of 1:47.14, Lutkenhaus finished second to Josh Hoey in his heat of the preliminaries, advancing him to the semifinals. In the semifinals the following day, with a time of 1:45.57, Lutkenhaus finished second to Bryce Hoppel in his heat after recovering from a stumble just after the 400 meter mark. Lutkenhaus' place automatically qualified him for the final, and makes him the youngest man to ever qualify for the U.S. final over the 800 meter distance.[26][27]
In the final, Lutkenhaus finished second to Donavan Brazier, running a world-under 18 best of 1:42.27 and qualifying for the 2025 World Championships in Tokyo, Japan. He split 50.66 for the first 400 meters and 51.61 for the final 400 meters, the fastest of the field. He split 12.48 seconds for the final 100 meters, catching Brandon Miller, Hoey, and Hoppel.[28][29] Lutkenhaus' time surpassed Mohammed Aman's previous world-under 18 best of 1:43.37 and makes him the fourth fastest American in history behind Brazier, Hoey, and Hoppel. Lutkenhaus is tied for eighteenth on the world all-time list with Ben Pattison, and is second on the world under-20 all-time list behind Nijel Amos.[6][30] Lutkenhaus' performance has been compared to those of Jim Ryun and Alan Webb.[31]
Professional career
2025
In August, it was announced that Lutkenhaus signed a professional contract with Nike. In turning pro, Lutkenhaus forewent his high school and NCAA eligibility. He is represented by Ray Flynn and is the first American male middle-distance runner to turn pro while in high school. He remains coached by Chris Capeau.[32][33]
In September, at the 2025 World Championships in Tokyo, Japan, Lutkenhaus was eliminated in the preliminary round of the 800 meters, finishing seventh in his heat.[34] In competing, Lutkenhaus became the youngest American to compete at the World Championships, being younger than both Erriyon Knighton and Mary Cain, who were 18 and 17 years old respectively at their World Championship debuts.[8]
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