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I loved athletics in school and my favourite race was the 800m. I still follow the big races closely each year. I remember watching a runner a year ahead of me at school 'jog' twice around the track and finish with times in the mid 1:50s. He went on to race at the Olympics and the fact that I got to train alongside him was inspiring. What I witnessed on the weekend, however, just blows my mind. I still can't believe it happened. A young sixteen-year-old, Cooper Lutkenhaus, just ran an incredible 1:42.27.
Lutkenhaus Flying (Wikipedia)
Lutkenhaus, a high school student (year 10) from Justin, Texas, who attends Northwest High School, wasn't even expected to make the final. He went on to place second in the men's final, beating some of the best athletes in the world. The field included World Indoor Champion Josh Hoey and American record holder Bryce Hoppel - he beat them both. To put it in perspective for South African readers, his time of 1:42.27 is faster than Hezekiél Sepeng's South African record of 1:42.69 set in 1999.
Hezekiél Sepeng (World Athletics)
I'd recommend to anyone interested athletics watch the last stretch of the race. I've seen it dozens of times and get goosebumps every time. In the final 200m, Lutkenhaus was charging. The surge of energy to race past a field of world-class athletes is phenomenal to see.
Lutkenhaus also demolished his own US high school 800-metre record by more than three seconds, while setting a new U18 world record. At the U20 level only Nigel Amos from Botswana has run faster, with his 1:41.73 in the London Olympics in 2012 (that incredible race where David Rudisha broke the world record with a 1:40.91).
To further highlight the incredible nature of Lutkenhaus's performance, let's look at some other top junior performances so far this year. The fastest U18 time for a South African is Emile Els' 1:51.65. The second fastest U18 time (after Lutkenhaus) in the world this year is Rafferty Mirfin of Britain's 1:47.67. Lutkenhaus's time is also faster than the top South African men's time of the year, which stands at 1:45.35, run by Tshepo Tshite.
My WhatsApp groups have gone crazy. Everyone is talking about this performance. Something like this is not supposed to happen. Ex-athlete and high performance coach, Steve Magness, even recorded a video arguing that this is one of the most impressive athletic feats in history.
With two more years of high school remaining, the potential for what Lutkenhaus can achieve is immense. He has qualified for the World Athletics Championships, where he will be the youngest American to ever compete.
It will be crucial for him to have a great team of people around him as he navigates the professional circuit and continues to develop. His performance has already drawn comparisons to other legendary high school athletes like Jim Ryun, who in 1964 became the first high school student to break the four-minute mile. The world will be watching to see what he does next.
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