Lutkenhaus American U20 record earns him USATF Athlete of the Week honors

INDIANAPOLIS -- A stunning American U20 record* in the men's 800 earned Cooper Lutkenhaus (Justin, TX/USATF Southwestern) recognition as the 29th USATF Athlete of the Week award winner for 2025. It is his second AOW award of the year.

The 16-year-old Texan made it into the final of the men's 800 at the Toyota USATF Outdoor Championships with a respectable 1:45.57 to finish second in his semifinal after overcoming an early stumble, but few could have predicted what was to come in the final.

Running near the back of the pack through 400 in 50.66 as Josh Hoey led at 49.29, Lutkenhaus was seventh through 600 in 1:16.86 and more than a second behind the leaders. Coming off the final bend he went to the outside and started a mad dash for the finish line. 

Moving past everyone but Donavan Brazier, the young Justin Northwest High School junior-to-be covered the final 100 in 12.48 to clock 1:42.27 and take silver, shattering the world U18 best and bettering the American U20 record of 1:43.55 that was set in 2016 by Brazier. Lutkenhaus vaulted to No. 4 on the all-time U.S. performer list as he became the 18th-fastest man ever in the event.

Other top performances from last week:

• Melissa Jefferson-Wooden swept the women's sprints at the USATF Championships, winning the 100 in a world-leading 10.65 and the 200 in 21.84. Her 100 time moved her to equal No. 5 on the all-time world performer list and equal No. 3 on the U.S. list.

• Lauren Harris bettered the American women's record in the 20,000-meter race walk with a 1:31:23.7 to win her first national title. Her time took almost 27 seconds off the pending American record she set in June.
• Jonah Koech set a USATF Championships meet record in the men's 1500 with his come-from-behind 3:30.17 win. His time moved him to No. 7 on the all-time U.S. performer list.
• Kyle Garland moved to No. 3 on the all-time U.S. performer list in the men's decathlon with a score of 8,869 at the USATF Championships. He also took over the No. 10 spot on the world all-time performer list.
• Valarie Allman won the women's discus at the USATF Championships with the third farthest throw ever by an American. Her 71.45/234-5 toss helped her win a record seventh straight U.S. title.

* – all American records subject to verification by USATF Records Committee

Now in its 24th year, USATF’s Athlete of the Week program is designed to recognize outstanding performers at all levels of the sport. USATF names a new honoree each week when there are high-level competitions and features the athlete on USATF.org. Selections are based on top performances and results from the previous week. 

2025 Winners: January 15, Zariel Macchia; January 22, Conner Mantz; January 29, Katelyn Tuohy; February 5, Ethan Strand; February 12, Yared Nuguse; February 19, Grant Fisher; February 26, Josh Hoey; March 5, Heather MacLean; March 12, Cole Boone; March 19, Isabella Whittaker; March 26, Claire Bryant; April 2, Curtis Thompson; April 9, Taylor Roe; April 16, Valarie Allman; April 23, Jane Hedengren; April 30, Kaitlin Bounds; May 6, Masai Russell; May 13, Lynna Irby-Jackson; May 20, Jaydin Blackwell; May 27, Jonah Koech; June 3, Anna Hall; June 10, Jane Hedengren; June 17, Nico Young; June 24, Cooper Lutkenhaus; July 1, Chase Jackson; July 8, Rudy Winkler; July 15, Quincy Wilson; July 22, Sinclaire Johnson; August 5, Cooper Lutkenhaus.

We welcome your nominations!

To nominate an athlete for USATF Athlete of the Week, please send a detailed email about their performance to communications@usatf.org.

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