NCAA 100m champion Louie Hinchliffe explains why he left college sports and coach Carl Lewis - "There wasn't anything for me to win there"

British sprinter Louie Hinchliffe recently spoke about leaving coach Carl Lewis to train under Richard Kilty. Both Hinchliffe and Kilty were part of Great Britain’s medal-winning team at the 2024 Paris Olympics, with Hinchliffe competing in the finals and Kilty participating in the heats.

Hinchliffe's running career improved significantly after he transferred from Washington State University to the University of Houston where he trained under Carl Lewis. Under the guidance of the latter who was the head coach of the track and field program, he won the 2024 NCAA Division I Outdoor Championships and claimed a victory at the UK Championships, both of which came in the 100m.

Following his remarkable victory at the UK Championships, he advanced to his maiden Olympic Games where he showed his brilliance. There, he not only played a crucial role in the team’s bronze medal performance in the 4x100m relay, running the second leg in the finals, but also finished as a semi-finalist in the individual 100m. After his appearance at the Paris Olympics, he chose to forgo his remaining years of college eligibility and turned professional.

In a recent interview with The Guardian, the 22-year-old reflected on his decision to turn professional, explaining that he had already achieved the primary goal of an NCAA runner, stating:

“It’s been a dream of mine ever since I was a kid to be a professional athlete. I could have stayed in school and possibly got that degree, but is it something I’m passionate about? No. I was the NCAA champion so there wasn’t really anything else for me to win there.”

However, if Lewis remained his coach, he wouldn’t be able to turn professional, as the American track legend advised his students that he would only coach them if they completed their degrees first. After he turned pro, Hinchliffe said Lewis wished him the best for his career:

"He wished me all the best. There’s no hard feelings at all. Carl taught me a lot and I can’t thank him enough.”

Notably, Richard Kilty, the new coach of Louie Hinchliffe, is known for his exploits in short sprint disciplines, being the world indoor champion in 2014 and a two-time European indoor champion in 2015 and 2017. Despite Kilty's limited mentorship experience, Hinchliffe shared why the 22-year-old chose him, adding:

“No one seemed to be as passionate as Richard. He knows a lot about the sport. It just felt right. You know what feels right and that felt the best.”

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Louie Hinchliffe previously praised the University of Houston as the right environment for him after qualifying for the Olympics

Louie Hinchliffe with former coach Carl Lewis (Photo by J Kruger - British Athletics/British Athletics via Getty Images)

Louie Hinchliffe said earlier this year that the University of Houston provided the ideal environment for him as he was surrounded by the right people who pushed him to his limits. In an interview with Athletics Weekly after qualifying for the Paris Olympics, he said (starting at 0:42):

“It's been massively important, kind of put me in the right environment, surrounded me with the right people, and like pushed me to like, I wasn't really being pushed as much before so just pushed me to my limit."

It is worth noting that Carl Lewis, his former coach, is renowned for winning nine Olympic golds. He also collected eight gold medals in the World Championships.