More than 2,200 elite track and field athletes are descending on Tokyo for the upcoming world championships, but Cooper Lutkenhaus might be the only one to pack homework.
The 16-year-old from Texas is the youngest person in history to make the US team for the World Athletics Championships, taking time off from high school to compete. He won’t be able to escape schoolwork entirely, anticipating that it could even be a healthy distraction ahead of the biggest race of his life.
“It might be kind of good, just so I have something to do instead of sitting in the hotel room all day after training,” Lutkenhaus tells CNN Sports. “It’ll give me a break from that running side of things.”
No one, not even Lutkenhaus, expected him to be in this position. Ahead of the US national championships, where athletes were competing for a spot on the American team for Tokyo, his goal was simply to make the final.
That explains the look of utter disbelief – hands on head, mouth open wide – on Lutkenhaus’ face when he collected a silver medal in the 800 meters, surging past most of the field on the final straight.
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