British sprinter Louie Hinchliffe has become the first European to win the men’s 100m at the NCAA Championships.
The 21-year-old, from Sheffield, ran 9.95 seconds in Eugene, Oregon, to claim the US collegiate title.
That is the sixth fastest time by a Briton, the ninth fastest in the world this year and the fastest by a European.
Hinchliffe races for the University of Houston, where nine-time Olympic champion Carl Lewis is head coach.
“I got out hard and it was kind of level, my form probably wasn’t the best, but I gave everything to get to that line [first],” said Hinchliffe.
He is set to compete at the UK Championships in Manchester later this month, which act as the British trials for this summer’s Paris Olympics.
Hinchliffe won the English national title in 2022 and spent the 2023 season with Washington State before transferring to Houston to work with Lewis.
Coming into 2024, his personal best was 10.17, but he has gradually improved it this year and ran a wind-assisted 9.84 in the NCAA regionals two weeks ago.