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After Louie Hinchliffe's sudden coaching switch, legendary Britsish sprinter Richard Kilty believes he can train the rising star to be the best in the world.
A few weeks after the Paris Olympic Games, Great Britain's new speed star Louie Hinchliffe took the bold leap to leave his college coach Carl Lewis, who trained him to his 2024 season exploits for new guidance under fellow Briton Richard Kilty.
Hinchliffe was one of the breakout stars this season, having dominated the US collegiate circuit and was part of Great Britain's bronze medal-winning 4x100m in Paris. He made a monumental leap by clocking 9.95s to become the first European winner of the NCAA 100m title and only narrowly missed out on the Olympic final.
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Despite blossoming under nine-time Olympic champion Lewis at the University of Houston, Hinchliffe surprisingly made the bold decision to turn pro after the Olympics, which resulted in leaving Lewis for a new coach Kilty, who at 35 years, climaxed his career at the Paris Olympics after being a member of the British 4x100m squad and has been on every major international podium.
Following Hinchliffe's decision to leave a world-renowned coach and continue his blossoming career under a less-experienced one, the 22-year-old revealed in an interview with theguardian.com that it felt like the right time.
“It’s been a dream of mine ever since I was a kid to be a professional athlete,” he said. “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."
“It felt like the right time, so I took the leap,” added Hinchliffe. The budding speedster also revealed that Lewis tried to convince him to stay another year to reassess, but his mind was made up.
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“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.”
With the course of his career taking a new turn under Kilty's tutoring, Hinchliffe isn't daunted and has every confidence as he took his time, with consideration for a professional training group in America before choosing the legendary sprinter.
“Not at all. I wouldn’t have taken him on if any bit of me was daunted by it or I had any doubt. I’ve got every confidence in him and myself that we’re going to do the business.
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“No one seemed to be as passionate as Richard. He knows a lot about the sport,” he continued. “It just felt right. You know what feels right and that felt the best. He hasn’t had any formal coaching experience beyond the locals here but everyone’s got to start somewhere. The best coaches of all time were at that point at one time. I believe it will work,” said the British 100m champion.
Kilty also shares the same sentiments on their relationship and is determined to train him to be the best in the world.
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“Ultimately, Louie is my priority. I’m building my team of athletes all based around how they can help Louie. An athlete of his level needs and deserves a lot of time and attention.
“I’m going to make it my mission to do whatever I can on a daily basis to help Louie be the best in the world. And I want to become one of the best coaches on the planet. It’s the start of a great journey,” Kilty concluded.
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