Noah Lyles wins Olympic 100m gold in sensational finish in Paris
Hinchliffe’s fairytale rise from obscurity less than three months ago to an Olympic 100m debut was already a stunning achievement in its own right.
But the 22-year-old and his coach Carl Lewis both said their goal was to make the final in Paris. When the Briton beat Lyles in a statement introduction in his heat on Saturday that appeared a realistic target.
Even Lewis, with his vast experience as both a nine-time Olympic champion and coach at the University of Houston for the past decade, has been surprised by the remarkable rate of Hinchliffe’s progress during their 12-month partnership.
Unfortunately the final proved a step too far, with Hinchliffe run out of the non-automatic qualifying spots after finishing third behind Seville and Lyles in his semi-final.
“It’s obviously not the result I wanted but I can’t be too hard on myself,” Hinchliffe, already the sixth-fastest British man in history, told BBC Sport.
“I’ll definitely use this experience and I’ll learn from my mistakes, so it is back to the drawing board and we’ll work on it and come back stronger next year.”
It also was not to be for Hughes, who could not set up the opportunity to replicate the breakthrough first global medal he achieved last year – or for Olympic redemption following his false start in the Tokyo final three years ago.
The 29-year-old has not been able to hit the same heights of a 2023 season in which he broke two long-standing British records over 100m and 200m, after this campaign was disrupted by a hamstring injury.
“Obviously I’m disappointed but I know where I am coming from. This is my third 100m. Not making any excuses. Today just wasn’t my day,” Hughes, who will also contest the 200m, said.
“To try to get through the rounds of the Olympics after injuring my hamstring with a grade two tear last month wasn’t that easy, but I dug deep to give myself a chance and that’s what I came here to do.”
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