Louis Hinchliffe: Britain's rising sprint star chasing Olympic dream under Carl Lewis' tutelage

When 21-year-old British sprinter Lewis Hinchliffe hired nine-time Olympic gold medalist Carl Lewis as his coach, he knew exactly what he had to do.

He moved to America after a thoroughly enjoyable first year as a college freshman in the UK, and did so with ambitions to maximize his potential and, to be honest, didn't take his training too seriously.

Neither he nor Lewis, who coached at the University of Houston for the past decade and won 17 world titles there, truly expected what would unfold in the short time since that first phone call last August.

But while all of this still feels surreal, with Paris 2024 rapidly approaching, goals need to be adjusted.

“If Louis goes to the Olympics and wins two gold medals, I'll remind him he needs seven more,” Lewis joked to BBC Sport.

“Trust me, I'll try to keep him humble.”

Hinchliffe is in safe hands, just as he knew he would be.

The excitement surrounding the Sheffield-born athlete's impressive progress so far this year is understandable.

Hinchliffe made headlines in May when he used the wind to clock 9.84 seconds, the second fastest all-conditions 100 metres in British history.

And on Friday, at the NCAA Championships in Oregon, he became the first European athlete to win the men's 100 meters title.

The time was a whopping 9.95 seconds – his first legal run under 10 seconds – and he finished sixth on the British all-time list in the biggest race of his life.

“I really didn't expect anything like this to happen,” said Hinchliffe, who is still in shock a day after his historic win.

“I knew we had a chance but we weren't the favourites to win. It doesn't feel real. I'm very happy but relieved it's over.”

“Last year we finished last in the semi-finals, so to get to the finals and win is unbelievable.”

“Being in that high-pressure environment helped me perform at my best. It all just worked out.”

And all of this not only happened in an Olympic year, but in the same month as the British Olympic Selectors, and seven weeks before the Games.

When Hinchliffe first spoke to Lewis, the American legend revealed a bold ambition: to help him make the Olympic team as a relay runner.

Before Lewis' tutelage, Hinchliffe admits that while he listened to his coaches, he often ended up doing what he liked at practice – golf in particular – but he never fully committed to the sport.

But Lewis had his full attention and Hinchliffe is very clear about the positive impact the 1984 and 1988 Olympic 100m champion had on him.

“Carl has given me great advice, not just on the track but in life in general and without his teachings none of this would have been possible,” Hinchliffe says.

“Having him coach me opened everything up. He flipped a switch in my mind about what I needed to do. I didn't expect it all to happen so quickly, but coming to Houston and being coached by Carl was the catalyst.”

Hinchliffe, the 2022 English national champion, spent the 2023 season at Washington State before transferring to Houston.

As of the start of 2024, his personal best was 10.17 seconds, but Lewis projected that if he could improve that to around 10.10 seconds, he might have a shot at qualifying for the Olympic relay.

He exceeded all expectations: Hinchliffe's NCAA title time is the fastest of any European athlete in the 2024 class, and only eight athletes worldwide will beat it.

Only five British men have run faster times and his time was just 0.12 seconds behind Zarnell Hughes' national record of 9.83 seconds.

But perhaps most importantly, Hinchliffe has no problem blocking out the ever-increasing outside noise; he stresses that all his former teachers would agree that he was adept at keeping his head down and “staying out of trouble”.

“Louis is a tough guy and doesn't take things personally. He's a learning guy, he's confident and his potential is limitless,” Lewis said.

“He has to understand he's a star in his hometown. He's got a great temperament, he's a great lad and I think he's going to be a big star. There's no doubt he's gone faster than I expected him to.”

“But my job is to protect him and help him understand exactly what it takes to be successful in a long career.”

Hinchliffe was injured when he first arrived in Houston, and Lewis focused primarily on modifying his running style, specifically getting him to run more “upright” as a leaning forward position puts additional strain on his hamstrings.

The Briton overturned a deficit at the halfway stage to seal a stunning win at the NCAAs but admitted he wasn't in top form.

At this early stage, this is the most exciting aspect of all of this for both athletes and coaches: there is still significant room for improvement.

But there are some exciting opportunities to be had in the near future.

Hinchcliffe is due to return home to compete at the British Championships in Manchester later this month, which also serve as the Olympic trials.

A top-two finish there on Saturday, June 29, would put him on track for his Olympic debut just two months later.

“It's a bit crazy going to Manchester as one of the favourites to win,” Hinchliffe said.

“It was always in my mind to do some damage there, but I don't want to get ahead of myself and I want to approach it like any other race.”

“Just making it to the Olympics is pretty amazing, but to be in a position where I might be able to compete in an individual event is way beyond what I ever thought possible.

“Going to Paris means everything to me. I've put my heart and soul into this.”

If Hinchliffe achieves what he only dreamed of until recently, he will be accompanied in Paris by Lewis, a man who knows how to handle the career-defining moments that come with the Olympics.

“This is going to be a great experience for Louis, and I'm going to go through it with him, figure out the variables on the table and make things simple for him,” Lewis said.

“What's important for his future is that when it comes time for the Olympic Trials and Olympic Games, he's ready.

“No one comes up to me and says, 'That tournament was amazing.' They say, 'He won nine gold medals.'

“I want him to have the same mindset.”