Rubuta ci gaba don wannan sakin layi - Cooksey ta fara fitowa a gasar zakarun duniya ta 1982 IAAF
, inda ta kasance ta 17 kuma ta taimaka wa tawagar 'yan matan Amurka zuwa na hudu a cikin matsayi. Ta rasa sauran kakar saboda raunin rauni na maimaitawa. Bayan ta murmure, ta zo ta biyu a bayan Gabriele Andersen a California International Marathon a Sacramento kuma lokacinta ya sami cancanta a cikin gwajin wasannin Olympics na 1984 na Los Angeles. Gasar gwajin ta kasance mai tsananin gasa kamar yadda ta zo a lokacin da mata ke gudana a Amurka kuma, tare da kasancewa a cikin gida, shi ne karo na farko da za a gudanar da marathon ga mata a Wasannin Olympics na bazara. Cooksey ya sami babban rikodin sirri na awanni 2:35:42 a tseren gwaji a Olympia, Washington, amma wannan ya isa ne kawai don matsayi na goma sha uku a gaba ɗaya. Raunin da ya faru ya sake lalata lokacinta na 1985 da 1986, kodayake ta lashe lambar yabo ta hanyar 5K ta Amurka a shekarar da ta gabata.