Tyrese Cooper breaks 2 Freshman Nationals records in the 200/400
by Ka'Deem Wynn
Back in August, we caught up with Tyrese and asked him what he's looking forward to adding to his list of accomplishments. During that interview, he said, "I'm planning on being the first freshman to break the 400 and 200 record."
And he's done just that! Over the weekend, Tyrese and the Miami Gardens Xpress squad traveled to the Arkansas High School Invitational at the Randal Tyson Track Center in Fayetteville, AR. Tyrese smashed the 200-meter freshman national indoor record of 21.84, previously held by Brian Herron, running 21.54. After that, he broke the 400-meter freshman national indoor record of 48.76, also held by Herron, running a blazing 47.97!
Also, Tyrese and the MGX boys battled it out in the 4x400 meter relay with the boys of Legendary Track Club, and finished first, running an incredibly fast 3:16.44. With the 2016 outdoor season officially now underway, the boys and Coach Darius Lawshea wanted to start the season off right.
Miami Gardens Xpress Boys 4x400 Champions in US#1 3:16.44
“It’s amazing,” said Lawshea in a recent interview. “We just wanted to get our times back. We felt like we were better and more prepared, and we knew that he could break both freshman national records.”
Coach Lawshea said the purpose of going to the meet was not to show off, but to race. Treat every prelim like a final, and let the clock do the talking.
Now that Tyrese has two more records, why not get another one? After all, the third time’s the charm.
Tyrese has his sights set on the 55-meter dash record as well and is planning on racing at the 2016 Jimmy Carnes Invitational on February 6th in Gainesville. The O'Connell Center track is fast. With Tyrese racing, it’s bound to be great, possibly historic. After Jimmy Carnes, they’ll be ready to go outdoors.
Seeing what Tyrese is capable of, it’s clear that this season is going to be one that athletes, coaches, and spectators alike are going to remember for quite a long time. However, the outdoor season won’t be complete until Tyrese crosses the line in one number: 45.
“We’re going for 45,” said Lawshea.
Lawshea said they wanted to put the US back on the map. Tyrese wants to be the number one guy in his age group, and frankly, there’s no reason he shouldn’t have that spot. Christopher Taylor of Jamaica currently holds the record they’re chasing. Last summer at the 2015 World Youth Championships, Taylor, who at the age of 15 was also the youngest in the field, broke the age-15 400-meter world record when he ran 45.27.
“He (Taylor) is the fastest kid ever to run that,” Coach Lawshea said. “We want the 45.27.”
Tyrese Cooper is a competitor. He’s quick, he’s strong, and he’s going to be around awhile, probably breaking records, including his own, along the way.
