"We're gonna be on that Olympic team" - Carl Lewis' prodigy Louie Hinchliffe shared the first impactful words of his coach

Louie Hinchliffe, the Carl Lewis-mentored athlete from the University of Houston, flew to the 100m victory at the 2024 NCAA Track and Field Outdoor Championships. Hours after his win, he shed light on the words of his coach, Lewis, that impacted his career greatly.

Louie Hinchliffe, 21, was first registered with the University of Washington, where he earned the 2022 English National title and recorded the then-personal best time of 10.23s in Walnut, California. At the 2023 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships, the Sheffield sprinter finished 20th in the 100m, way behind the defending champion from Africa, Shaun Maswanganyi.

Now teammates Maswanganyi and Hinchliffe competed at the NCAA West Preliminary Round, where the latter clocked the fastest time of the year, running in 9.84s. The former finished second in 9.89s.

Hinchliffe has shown a remarkable transition from last year's stints to the successes he achieved in 2024. Mentored by the nine-time Olympic champion, who changed the dynamics of the track for the better, the Houston Cougars athlete expressed gratitude to the legendary Carl Lewis for his one-line advice that changed the course of Hinchliffe's life.

In an interview with Chancellor Johnson, Louie Hinchliffe shed light on how the first conversation between the mentor and mentee was enough to give the athlete the hint.

"It was the first conversation we had when I called him. He was like, the first thing he said to me was like, 'We're gonna be on that Olympic team', so it was since then, that first conversation that I start believe in him since then. It just led to this moment which is crazy."

After the 100m win at the NCAA Championships, the British sprinter thought it was 'surreal' and credited the high-pressure environment for bringing the best out of him.

"He's got to go to the Olympic trials" - Carl Lewis confirmed that Louie Hinchliffe will be on the run for Paris

Carl Lewis dominated track and field from 1979 to 1996 and retired with 10 World Champion titles, nine Olympic golds, and a multitude of laurels across his illustrious career.

After coaching Louie Hinchliffe and watching him claim victorious podiums, Lewis felt prepared to take his tutee to the Olympic trials. In a recent interview with CITIUS Mag, the retired Olympian said:

"He's got to go to the Olympic trials, which is the 29th of the month, and I'll go with him to go there, and then what we'll do is we'll take off a few days and then we'll get back into training, slow things down to prepare for that, and that's only a one-day meet it's great."

Hinchliffe will next compete at the UK Athletics Championships Manchester 2024 from 29-30 June, to be in contention in Paris.