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Justin Northwest’s Lutkenhaus Becomes Youngest Track and Field World Champion

The 17-year-old wins the 800-meter race at the World Indoor Championships in Poland
Cody Thorn|
Cooper Lutkenhaus (USA) and Ebrahim Alzofairi (KUW) run in the men’s 800 meters qualifying during the World Athletics Championships at the National Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
Cooper Lutkenhaus (USA) and Ebrahim Alzofairi (KUW) run in the men’s 800 meters qualifying during the World Athletics Championships at the National Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

A North Texas teenager is the world's best 800-meter runner.

Cooper Lutkenhaus, 17, won the World Indoors Championships on Sunday in Torun, Poland.

He ran 1:44.24 and won the 800-meter run, beating Elliott Crestan from Belgium by .14 of a second. Spain’s Mohamed Attaoui was third with a time of 1:44.66.

Lutkenhaus, a junior at Justin Northwest High School, ran 1:44.29 in the semifinals and entered the race as the favorite. That was the fastest time at World Indoors since Wilson Kipketer set what was a world record (now previous world record) of 1:42.97 in 1997.

He surpassed the previous mark held by Ethiopian Mohammed Aman, who was 18 years and 61 days old when he won gold in the 800m event in 2012.

The World Indoor Championship has been held for 42 years.

Previous accolades

Lutkenhaus won the Prevagen men’s 800-meter run on March 1 in 1:46.68, which qualified him to compete for the USA Track and Field team for the event. On February 8, he ran 1:44.03 in the 800-meter and set a new U20 World Record in the process at the Millrose Games.

The background

Lutkenhaus, who turned pro in August, which meant he would not return to run for the Northwest Track and Field team and defend his UIL title. Nike signed him to a contract, but he still attends school at the school near Fort Worth and down the road from the Texas Motor Speedway.

He won the Class 5A 800-meter title as a freshman in 2024 and was seventh in the 400. He later set a new state record by running 1:47.58 in the Brooks PR Invitational, which was the 8th-fastest ever at the time on June 12.

At the 2025 UIL meet, he was second in the 400 and won state with a time of 1:47.04.

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Cody Thorn
CODY THORN

Cody Thorn is a veteran journalist who covers high school sports across the state of Texas and Missouri. He is based in the Dallas-Fort Worth area and has covered sports and news since 1999.

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