Leo Loucks took control early at the 2026 Junior Ironman on Thursday night, winning Round 1 with a four-event aggregate of 49.8 seconds inside the Lazy E Arena.
The 20-year-old from Pittsburg, Illinois, delivered the most consistent performance across heading, tie-down roping, heeling and steer wrestling to top the opening round of the three-round Ironman format. Two rounds remain this weekend as competitors continue chasing the overall title in Guthrie.
Loucks’ Round 1 included a 12.8-second heading run, a 15.6 in the tie-down roping, 12.4 seconds heeling and a 9.0-second steer wrestling run to finish nearly 40 seconds ahead of second-place James Mann.
It marked a sharp turnaround from Loucks’ first appearance at the Junior Ironman last year.
“This is my second Junior Ironman,” Loucks said. “Last year it just didn’t go like I wanted it to. I struggled in the team roping. A lot of that was just not finding horses that really fit me until two weeks before, and then the jitters—this big arena, big event, a lot of pressure.”
This year, Loucks arrived with horses he had competed on all season and a much clearer plan for how to approach the event.
“I rode both of my horses all year long, all summer,” he said. “There wasn’t really any pressure. It was just make your practice pen run and make a solid run every time.”
Loucks opened his night in the team roping, stopping the clock at 12.8 seconds heading for Coleman Proctor after watching the first several competitors struggle with the cattle.
“I was seventh out and watched the first six guys go,” Loucks said. “The cows were strong. I roped his horn and Coleman missed his dally but got it pinched off, and we stopped the clock about 12.8.”
Tie-down roping remains Loucks’ strongest event. The Illinois cowboy won the National Little Britches Rodeo Association tie-down roping world title last summer and relied on that event again to keep his momentum rolling Thursday night.
“That calf tonight went hard left and I had to be patient, let him straighten out and then make my run,” Loucks said.
Horsepower also played a major role in Loucks’ Round 1 success. He headed on “Ooglie,” owned by Matt Mason, tied calves on “Little Debbie,” heeled on a longtime partner named Daphne and steer wrestled on a 9-year-old gelding called Chester.
“I think the biggest takeaway from last year was just ride your horses and make practice pen runs when you can,” Loucks said. “If you’re comfortable on them and ride to your spot every time, it’s going to be there.”
Despite winning the opening round, Loucks said his approach for the rest of the Junior Ironman remains simple.
“I’m not going to change anything up,” he said. “Just one event, one round at a time and keep knocking them down.”
