American Record Holders Bryce Hoppel & Josh Hoey to Square Off in Men’s 800m at 2025 Millrose Games

2024 NCAA champion Shane Cohen & high school sophomore Cooper Lutkenhaus are also entered

World Indoor champion Bryce Hoppel will go for his second straight victory — and third overall — in the men’s 800 meters at the 2025 Millrose Games on February 8 at the Armory, meet organizers told LetsRun.com. Hoppel is coming off a career year in the 800 in 2024 that saw him claim World Indoor gold in Glasgow, win his third straight US outdoor title, and run an American record of 1:41.67 to finish 4th at the Olympic Games in Paris. His indoor personal best of 1:44.37 ranks second on the US all-time list, just behind Donavan Brazier‘s 1:44.21 from 2021.

Hoppel will enter Millrose as the favorite, where he will face Josh Hoey, Jonah Koech, and Shane Cohen — the fourth-, fifth-, and sixth-placers from last year’s US Olympic Trials. Hoey has already shown to be in outstanding form this year. After opening his indoor season with a personal best of 3:52.61 in the mile at Boston University on December 7, Hoey ran 2:14.48 in Philadelphia on January 18 to take more than a second and a half off the American record in the 1000 meters, coming just .28 shy of Ayanleh Souleiman‘s world record. The 25-year-old Hoey, who set the US indoor high school record of 1:47.67 in 2018, had never broken 1:47 for 800 before last year, when he improved to a 1:43.80 pb and a fourth-place finish at the Olympic Trials in his first year under coach Justin Rinaldi.

Hoppel won at Millrose in 2024 (Kevin Morris photo)

Cohen, 23, made a similar jump from a 1:48.25 pb to 1:44.65 and the NCAA title last year after transferring from Division II University of Tampa to the University of Virginia. Cohen, who is now a professional with Nike, became known for his monster kick after going from last to first over the final 100 meters of the NCAA final. Koech, who made the US outdoor team at 800 in 2022, was quietly consistent last year — among Americans, only Hoppel (9) had more sub-1:45s in 2024 than Koech (5).

Those professionals will be joined by 16-year-old Cooper Lutkenaus, a sophomore at Northwest High School in Justin, Tex., who will race indoors for the first time ever at Millrose. Lutkenhaus was the top high school 800-meter runner in the country last year as a freshman, claiming wins at the RunningLane Championships, Brooks PR Invitational, and Nike Outdoor Nationals. His 1:47.58 took more than three seconds off the previous freshman class record of 1:50.84 (previously held by 2024 Olympian Brandon Miller) and came just shy of the world age-15 record of 1:47.50 held by 2024 Olympic finalist Max Burgin.

Like Cohen, Lutkenhaus has quickly made a name for himself thanks to an incredible ability to change gears at the end of races. He showed an insane burst of speed to win the Texas state meet in May and ran his pb of 1:47.58 at Brooks PR by going from 6th to 1st over the final 200:

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MB Cooper MF Lutkenhaus – US 9th grader (age 15) runs 1:47.58!!!

So consider this a warning to the pros at Millrose — even if you think you’ve dropped him, be aware of Lutkenhaus on the last lap.

Three-time Olympian Mark English, who set an Irish outdoor record of 1:44.53 last year, completes the 2025 Millrose field.

2025 Millrose Games men’s 800m field

Athlete Country Outdoor pb Note
Bryce Hoppel USA 1:41.67 World Indoor champ
Josh Hoey USA 1:43.80 US indoor 1k record holder
Jonah Koech USA 1:44.32 5th at ’24 Olympic Trials
Mark English Ireland 1:44.53 Irish record holder
Shane Cohen USA 1:44.65 NCAA outdoor champ
Cooper Lutkenhaus USA 1:47.58 High school sophomore

Who is going to win the 2025 Millrose 800?

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Talk about the race on the world-famous LetsRun.com messageboard/fan forum:

MB: 2025 Millrose 800 is gonna be LOADED – Bryce Hoppel, Josh Hoey, HS senssation Cooper Lutkenaus & more .

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