"The stadium exploded"- 16-year-old Cooper Lutkenhaus opens up on final moments of 800m race at USA Nationals that earned him World Championships spot

American high school athlete Cooper Lutkenhaus made his feelings known about the environment at Hayward Field during his final moments of the 800m race at the USATF Championships 2025. The 16-year-old clinched second place in the finals of the event and successfully qualified for the World Championships.

Moreover, he also clocked the U18 World record run time of 1:42.27 in the race to finish just behind former 800m World champion, Donavan Brazier, who clocked 1:42.16. Lutkenhaus beat several top professionals during the race, such as the 2024 World Indoor 800 champion, Bryce Hoppel.

Speaking about his race, the 16-year-old said that the last 100m of the race was very loud and the crowd erupted during that time. He also mentioned that he tried to derive as much energy as possible from the crowd and give it his all during the race. He said (via LetsRundotcom, 00:36 onwards):

"That lost 100m got really loud, the stadium exploded. Just everybody in the race and I feel like 100m-200m to go, so just really trying to work up the energy from the crowd and it worked out."

During the interview, Cooper Lutkenhaus also mentioned that he focused more on his middle school tactics during the race, where he accelerated more towards the concluding part of the race, especially with 200m away from the finishing line.

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Cooper Lutkenhaus expressed his feelings after a second-place finish at the Nationals

Cooper Lutkenhaus (Image via: Getty)

Cooper Lutkenhaus expressed his emotions after an impressive outing at the USATF Outdoor Championships. The 16-year-old shared in a post-match interview that a lot of people around didn't think that he could make the finals, and he was very happy to do that.

Additionally, Lutkenhaus also remarked that he had expected the finals to be a fast one and thus was prepared for it. He said (via Olympics.com);

"I don’t know if there’s words for it right now, but just… made the team. I wasn’t supposed to make the team – a lot of people didn’t think I’d make the finals. So being able to do that is just a special moment. I knew it was going to be a fast race from the gun, just from what I was hearing with all the outside noise."

Lutkenhaus has had an impressive season so far in 2025, barring the Nationals. The 16-year-old clinched several podium finishes in competitive events such as the USA U20 Championships, Brooks PR Invitational, and the NIKE Indoor Nationals.