Northwest High School junior Cooper Lutkenhaus set a world record during the USA Track & Field Outdoor Championships on Aug. 3 in Eugene, Oregon.
He ran the fastest 800-meter time for an athlete younger than 18 while competing against professional athletes. He earned a silver medal and ran in a time of 1:42.27.
He ranks among the fastest 800-meter runners of all time.
Cooper ranks as the fourth-fastest American ever in the event, and he is tied as the 18th-fastest runner in the history of the world. His 1:42.27 shattered the previous U18 world best time by more than a second.
The second-place finish qualifies Cooper for the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo in September, the equivalent of the Olympics in an odd-numbered year. The first round of the men’s 800-meter run is scheduled to take place on Sept. 16, followed by the semifinals on Sept. 18 and the final on Sept. 20.
“I was really seizing the moment, racing the best guys in America and globally,” Cooper said following the race. “I was just going out there and having fun and just trying to see what I can do.”
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