Teenage sensation Cooper Lutkenhaus has just decided to turn professional. The 16-year-old high school runner, who qualified for the World Championships in Tokyo after breaking the Under 18 world record, has decided to sign up with the billion dollar conglomerate Nike as a professional athlete.In his interview with Citius Mag, Lutkenhaus opened up about the decision, and why he feels excited about the future. The teenage runner had previously broken his own high school record in the men's 800m event at the USATF Nationals."I’m just super excited and blessed for the opportunity. To be able to run professionally at such a young age is not very common, so to be represented by the best brand is very exciting," Lutkenhaus remarked.Cooper Lutkenhaus will however, complete his early education from the Northwest High School in Fort Worth, Texas. The 16-year-old athlete is currently pursuing his junior year from the school.Lutkenhaus created history at the men's 800m event in the USATF Nationals aka the US Outdoor Track & Field Championships held in Eugene, Oregon. With a timing of 1:42.27 minutes, the 16-year-old not only stood second in the finals, but also broke multiple records, including his own high school record, as well as the previous Under-18 world record in the men's 800m event.All about Cooper Lutkenhaus's early life and his backgroundCooper Lutkenhaus's early life as a high school athlete [Image Source : Getty]Cooper Lutkenhaus was born on December 19, 2008 in a family of athletes. His father George had competed in the 1600m segment at the state level, where he finished as the state runner-up. George's brother Andrew stood fourth at the Class 5A state meet, and finished third at the Nike Outdoor Nationals as a high school senior in 2023.Lutkenhaus follows American middle-distance runner Bryce Hoppel as his idol, and hopes to follow into his footsteps. Though Hoppel missed out on the podium finish by a whisker, he broke the previous American national record with a timing of 1:41.67 in the men's 800m finals at the Paris Olympics held last year. Hoppel finished fourth overall, behind the likes of Emmanuel Wanyonyi of Kenya, Marco Arop of Canada, and Djamel Sedjati of Algeria.Early achievements of Cooper LutkenhausCooper Lutkenhaus established himself as a promising athlete from 2023 onwards. He won the 800m events at the Brooks PR Invitational and the Nike Outdoor Nationals.During his freshman year of high school, Lutkenhaus was almost invincible, as he won three national meets and a Texas Class 5A state title. He set a new American high school freshman record at the Brooks PR Invitational with a timing of 1:47.58. Since then, he hasn't looked back.