Louie Hinchliffe was told to pick golf over athletics but is now trained by iconic Olympian Carl Lewis and challenging Noah Lyles for gold
Louie Hinchliffe has announced himself as a contender for the 100m gold medal at the Paris Olympics.
The Team GB sprinter, who is competing at his first Olympic Games, caught the eye by winning his heat at the Stade de France.
3
It was an incredible run from Hinchliffe, especially when you consider his first-ever race in the Olympics involved USA superstar Noah Lyles.
Lyles is the 100m world champion but couldn’t keep up with the Sheffield-born runner as he finished in a time of 9.98 seconds.
Speaking after the race, Lyles called Hinchliffe ‘a talented kid’ but admitted that losing to him would not happen again.
However, he can’t be too sure that his gold medal ambitions won’t be ruined by his new rival, who is trained by someone he’ll know very well.
READ MORE ON OLYMPICS
Hinchliffe is coached by American athletics legend and nine-time Olympic champion Carl Lewis.
While at university in the States, the 22-year-old increased his reputation in the sport and after transferring to Houston, Lewis became his mentor.
And he has continued to get better and better ever since, becoming the first European person ever to win the men’s 100m at the NCAA Championships in June.
He then went on to win the UK Championships a few weeks later to book his place on Team GB at the Paris Olympics.
Most read in Olympics
Hinchliffe's success is no surprise, considering he works so closely with Lewis, who certainly knows what it takes to win medals.
The icon has said that Hinchliffe can reach the 100m final this summer and coming from him, that claim certainly carries weight.
3
"The sky is the limit,” Lewis said. "If he runs his best, he will make the Olympic final. Once you're in the final, you're in with a shot."
But Hinchliffe may never have been in this position, as things could have gone completely differently after he was told to leave athletics behind and focus on golf.
He was an impressive golfer and competed in tournaments as a child while also showing he had talent on the track.
3
Shannon Sharpe offers $100k reward to US Olympians including Noah Lyles and Sha'Carri Richardson as truth behind gold medal earnings emerges
While at one of those tournaments, former 100m gold medal winner Allan Wells was in attendance and gave some advice to the multi-talented kid.
Hinchliffe’s dad revealed to : “Allan had a long chat with Louie and asked him about his achievements in athletics and golf.
“He explained how tough it was in athletics to achieve anything.
“They came to the conclusion that Louie should concentrate on golf as he was more likely to succeed in that.”
But cut a long story short - he didn’t - and now he’s a contender for 100m gold at the Olympics.
"I want to get the win. I want to try to get gold.” Hinchliffe told Sky Sports before the games.
And he has got off to the perfect start with a win over Lyles and that performance showed that he has a chance.
Should he make it through the final, he'll get a shot at glory and it is set to be a thrilling showpiece tonight.
talkSPORT brings you live coverage of the Paris Olympics this summer, with Sir Steve Redgrave and Dame Kelly Holmes among our legendary line-up of pundits. Listen to talkSPORT or talkSPORT 2 through the website, via the app, or through your smart speaker. And follow our live blog for all the latest news.
Topics