Cooper Lutkenhaus Breaks Down His 1:42.27 800m At 16 Years Old To Make History, Qualifies For The 2025 World Championships + Goals For Tokyo

“With 200 to go, I felt really strong. I wasn’t really burning yet. With about 120 to go coming off the curve, I saw everybody right there. I was like, ‘I feel amazing!’ The crowd all stood up and it was super electric. I was like, ‘I have a shot now.’”

My guest for today's episode is Cooper Lutkenhaus, the 16-year-old Texan who just ran one of the most astonishing races in American track and field history at the U.S. Championships in Eugene, Oregon. Cooper placed second in the men's 800m in 1:42.27 — a U18 world record, a three second personal best, and the fourth fastest time ever run by an American. He finished just behind Donovan Brazier, the former world champion who made his own remarkable comeback.

Cooper was in 7th place with 150m to go. He stayed calm, executed his race plan, and closed in a blistering 12.48 seconds over the final 100m, surging into second and nearly catching Donovan Brazier at the finish line. This was a performance that defied age, experience, and expectations, and announced Cooper as the future of American middle distance running.

In this episode, we get into it and try to answer the main question: how did this happen and who is Cooper? It wasn't just a great race for a high schooler; it was a great race, period.

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Host: Chris Chavez | ⁠⁠@chris_j_chavez on Instagram⁠

Guest: Cooper Lutkenhaus | @cooper.lutkenhaus on Instagram

Produced by: Jasmine Fehr | ⁠⁠⁠@jasminefehr on Instagram⁠⁠⁠

Mentioned in this episode…

Watch: USATF Championships Men’s 800m final

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