‘No words': Teenage freak smashes records, blows minds

News.com.au

4 days ago

Teen freak Cooper Lutkenhaus has dropped jaws around the world as he obliterated the U18 world record in the men's 800m at the US track trials.
The 16-year-old booked his ticket to next month's world championships in Japan as he took the silver medal behind former world champion Donavan Brazier.
Lutkenhaus has previously shown signs he is nothing short of an athletic marvel in junior competition, but he has never done anything like his time of 1:42.27 on Sunday in Eugene, Oregon.
The high school student was just 0.11 seconds from winning the race.
His previous 800m record for an athlete under the age of 18 had been 1:45.45 — meaning he shaved almost three seconds off that mark.
The run saw him become the fourth fastest American in history and also broke the American U20 record.
The performance has blown the minds of some athletics analysts.
Athletics commentator Steve Magness wrote on X: 'A 16 year old high schooler just ran 1:42.27. I have no words.
'This is the most impressive athletic feat in history. There are no superlatives. His performance makes high school LeBron look like nobody.
'Cooper Lutkenhaus take a bow.
'I don't know how to explain it. It is the most mind blowing HS performance in history.
Any high school phenom in history you can think of? This kid is better.
'I never thought we'd supplant Jim Ryun as the HS runner GOAT, but a sophomore in HS just did... Insanity.
Still fired up, Magness also posted: 'This is unprecedented. Think of it like this: He was in a field with 3 different world champions. He beat all but 1, who barely held him off by a tenth of a second.
'It's pure insanity.
'There's talent and then there's once in a generation talent that redefines what's possible.
'Cooper Lutkenhaus is one of those.'
American sports commentator Travis Miller posted: 'What the actual f***'.
American college athletics commentator Andrew Sweeney posted: 'I say this with zero exaggeration or embellishment, this is the most incredible thing I've ever witnessed in sports history.
'Lutkenhaus running one of the greatest 800m races in history at just 16yrs old out of NOWHERE… I truly cannot fathom what I just saw. In absolute shock.'
One fan posted: 'I have just witnessed one of the greatest sports feats by a high schooler. Ever.
'This is LeBron, Kobe, Tiger-esque.'
It was also a big race for Brazier.
The 28-year-old won gold at the World Championships in Doha in 2019, but subsequently saw his career blown off course by multiple injuries which required surgery. He only returned to racing this season after a three-year absence from the track.
He left that injury nightmare firmly in the rearview mirror on Sunday, though, punching through a gap in the final straight to take the tape in a personal best of 1min 42.16sec.
'The past few years have been really rough for me,' Brazier said.
'To finally have a chance at redemption, and just showcase resiliency — I was really happy to do it today. It was just pure grit.'
Huge drama as fastest man alive causes outrage
Olympic champ Noah Lyles performed a 'disrespectful' act towards rival runner Kenny Bednarek after thundering to victory in the 200m in Oregon.
The final day of action at Eugene's Hayward Field saw Lyles come from behind to win a testy battle with Bednarek in a world-leading 19.63secs.
After edging in front of Bednarek just before the line, Lyles turned his head to stare down his rival as he took the tape.
That drew an angry response from Bednarek, who shoved the reigning 100m and 200m world champion as the two men slowed down after the finish.
Lyles, the Olympic 100m champion who already had a bye into September's Worlds in Tokyo, refused to be drawn on his spat with Bednarek.
'Under coach's orders, no comment,' Lyles said afterwards.
But Bednarek, a double Olympic 200m silver medallist, was more expansive.
'What he said doesn't matter, it's just what he did,' Bednarek said, referring to Lyles' finish-line stare.
'That's unsportsmanlike s***, and I don't deal with that ... I don't deal with any of that stuff. It's not good character,' added Bednarek, who took second in a season's best 19.67sec.
In the women's sprints meanwhile, Jefferson-Wooden signalled she could well be the woman to beat in Tokyo after completing her 100m-200m double, winning the 200m in 21.84secs, with Anavia Battle second in 22.12secs.
Olympic 200m champion Gabby Thomas just squeaked into the Tokyo squad, finishing third in a photo finish with Brittany Brown.
'As long as I'm executing my race the way I know I can, then the times are going to continue to come,' Jefferson-Wooden said. 'And 21.84 I'll take.'
In the women's 800m final, former U20 world champion Roisin Willis reached her first major championships with a battling victory in 1min 59.26secs. Willis finished ahead of Maggi Congdon (1:59.39), with Sage Hurta-Klecker third in 1:59.48.
In the 110m hurdles, Ja'Kobe Tharp won in 13.01sec. Olympic and world champion Grant Holloway, who has a bye to the world championships, scratched from the final.
In the women's pole vault, three-time world championships silver-medallist Sandi Morris edged reigning world champion Katie Moon into second place with a winning height of 4.83m.