NEW YORK (Reuters) -Texan schoolboy Cooper Lutkenhaus has catapulted himself from obscurity into one of the most compelling characters at this month's World Athletics Championships in Tokyo with a stunning 800 metres run at the U.S. trials.
The 16-year-old will be the youngest American ever to compete at the worlds after he finished a close second to Donavan Brazier last month in Oregon, shattering the world under-18 record in one minute, 42.27 seconds.
Bryce Hoppel finished third in the race and was stunned by Lutkenhaus's run.
"I've been through it all and that's one of the craziest things I've seen," the 2024 world indoor champion told local media.
Brazier was a compelling story himself, the 2019 world champion continuing his comeback from injuries that crushed his Olympic dreams both in 2021 and 2024.
But Lutkenhaus quickly grabbed the spotlight.
He was third-from-last at the end of the opening lap before surging around the outside of the field on the final turn and sprinting down the straight to cap a remarkably gutsy performance.
Lutkenhaus told outlet Citius that he used tactics against his country's best men that he had honed at middle school meets.
"Wasn't supposed to make the team, a lot of people didn't think I'd make the final, so when you do that it's just a special moment," he said.
American track and field pundits are prone to breathless speculation over who might be "the next big thing", hanging bold predictions around teenagers' necks.
Erriyon Knighton was tipped to become the new Usain Bolt when he broke the retired great's 200 metres under-18 record in 2021 and became the youngest individual sprint medallist at the worlds with a bronze in 2022.
Quincy Wilson won a gold medal by competing in the preliminary stage of the 4x400 relay in Paris as the youngest-ever male U.S. track Olympian at 16, nearly a year after New Balance signed him to a "name, image and likeness" deal.
When coach and writer Steve Magness described Lutkenhaus' run as "the most impressive athletic feat in history", the young American's name rose above the usual buzz, making headlines far beyond sleepy Eugene.
The performance made him an overnight celebrity - at least by track-ambivalent U.S. standards - and Nike swooped in to sign him up as he decided to forfeit his NCAA eligibility.
At his Northwest High School last week, a marching band parade featuring pom-pom waving students saw him off in style, as the runner barely old enough to drive a car gets ready to put the pedal to the metal in Japan.
"From Texas to Tokyo," the school wrote on social media. "Our entire community is cheering you on."
(Reporting by Amy Tennery in New York; Editing by Peter Rutherford)
