Northwest High School junior Cooper Lutkenhaus announced Friday afternoon that he will be signing to run professionally with Nike, according to Track and Field insider Citius Mag.
The 16-year-old running phenom will forego the rest of his high school and all of his collegiate eligibility in order to turn pro.
Over the last year, Lutkenhaus set the high school 800-meter record two times. The most recent time he did the feat was at last month’s U.S. Outdoor Track and Field Championships, where he finished in second place.
His stunning podium finish punched his ticket to race the 800-meter at the World Championships in Tokyo next month.
According to the Citius Mag article, he will make history as the youngest American ever to represent the United States at a World Championships.
Lutkenhaus will continue to attend Northwest High School for at least the rest of his junior year.
He will also continue to be coached by the Texans coach Chris Capeu, but will no longer wear the Northwest singlet for cross country or on the track.
Lutkenhaus’s 1:42.27 800-meter time gives him the No. 4 spot in American history. It is also good for No. 18 on the World all-time list.
