US teenager Cooper Lutkenhaus made history on Sunday when he won gold in the 800m to becomes the youngest ever champion at the world indoor athletics championship.
The 17-year-old, who took time off from his classes at Northwest High School in Texas to compete at the championships, won gold with a time of 1min, 44.24sec, 0.14 seconds ahead of Belgium’s Eliott Crestan. Mohamed Attaoui of Spain won bronze.
Lutkenhaus, who turned 17 in December, beat the previous record for youngest champion held by Ethiopian Mohammed Aman, who was 18 years and 61 days when he won gold, also in the 800m, in 2012.
“I came into this knowing I probably wasn’t the favourite, but anytime I step into a final, I believe I have a chance to win,” Lutkenhaus said after his victory.
Lutkenhaus also competed at the world outdoor championships last September when he was still 16, going out in the first round. After his race in those championships he admitted he still had homework to do before returning back home to Texas.
The teenager’s gold was USA’s sixth of the championships, putting them top of the medal table ahead of Great Britain, who won five.