Meet Cooper Lutkenhaus, 17, the phenom who became 800m world champion while at school

Track and field’s youngest world champion on ‘wanting to change the sport’ and his admiration for Napoleon We are in living in the era of teenage super talents. On Saturday, Mirra Andreeva won the French Open at 19. Spain’s Lamine Yamal, at 18, is one of the favourites for the World Cup’s golden ball. Then there is Cooper Lutkenhaus, the 17-year-old American already making the world’s best athletes gasp for air and reach for superlatives, who may yet prove the best of the bunch. True, it is early days. But Lutkenhaus is already track and field’s youngest world champion, having won 800m indoor gold in March. On Sunday, he added to his CV with victory against a top-class field in his first Diamond League race. But it was what his rivals said afterwards in Stockholm that left the deepest mark. Continue reading...

Sean Ingle · Tue, Jun 9, 2026, 12:00 AM
US news | The Guardian

Meet Cooper Lutkenhaus, 17, the phenom who became 800m world champion while at school

Track and field’s youngest world champion on ‘wanting to change the sport’ and his admiration for Napoleon

We are in living in the era of teenage super talents. On Saturday, Mirra Andreeva won the French Open at 19. Spain’s Lamine Yamal, at 18, is one of the favourites for the World Cup’s golden ball. Then there is Cooper Lutkenhaus, the 17-year-old American already making the world’s best athletes gasp for air and reach for superlatives, who may yet prove the best of the bunch.

True, it is early days. But Lutkenhaus is already track and field’s youngest world champion, having won 800m indoor gold in March. On Sunday, he added to his CV with victory against a top-class field in his first Diamond League race. But it was what his rivals said afterwards in Stockholm that left the deepest mark.

This page shows an excerpt; reporting belongs to the original publisher. Some images or embeds may be omitted compared with the live article.