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EUGENE, Oregon – Seventeen-year-old Cooper Lutkenhaus, one of the world’s leading 800-meter runners, is set to make his Prefontaine Classic debut on Friday night at Hayward Field, bringing a combination of veteran composure and high school routine to one of track and field’s premier stages. The Northwest High School student from Justin, Texas, already holds the 18-and-under world record in the 800 meters after running 1 minute 42.27 seconds at the U.S. championships at Hayward Field last August, a performance that made him the youngest American runner ever to qualify for the world outdoor championships and helped him secure a professional contract with Nike. In Tokyo last September, he did not advance out of the opening round, but he said the experience taught him the importance of confidence at the elite level and helped him approach subsequent races with the mindset that top international competition is now his job. OSLO, Norway – Lutkenhaus strengthened his credentials on June 10 when he held off Olympic champion Emmanuel Wanyonyi of Kenya to win a Diamond League 800 meters in a personal-best 1:42.08, the third-fastest time ever by an American, placing him within striking distance of David Rudisha’s longstanding world record of 1:40.91 set at the 2012 London Olympics. Away from major meets, he maintains a schedule that combines 7 a.m. training, a full school day from 8:25 a.m. to 3:50 p.m., and additional workouts, which he describes as typical for a Texas high school student. Lutkenhaus, who drives a 2003 Chevy Silverado passed down through his family and jokes that gas is his only major purchase since turning professional, says he focuses less on times and medals and more on beating as many competitors as possible across the finish line, applying lessons from each race as he lines up against established names such as American record holder Bryce Hoppel and 2019 world champion Donavan Brazier at the Prefontaine Classic.

Prepared by Emily Rhodes and reviewed by editorial team.