Josh Hoey: A high school track and field phenom turned professional enigma, who didn’t have the easiest way to victory. For years, his career trajectory was at a standstill. In 2023, in the autumn of yet another underwhelming track season, his 800m personal best was not quite an improvement from the national high school indoor record he set five years ago. So when he roared to victory in the men’s 800m final at the World Athletics Indoor Championships in Nanjing, finally claiming his first major international title, it wasn’t just a win. It was a comeback par excellence. Cheering from the background was a man, who went the extra mile to ensure the best for the world champion. Who is he?

Olympic champion Matt Centrowitz- not the son (Matt Jr.) who won Rio gold in the 1500m event breaking the 108-year-long medal drought, but the father, the elder statesman of American middle-distance running. Years ago, Centrowitz made a bold and unusual move. He relocated to Pennsylvania and poured himself into building a private track setup unlike anything seen in the U.S. at the developmental level. The sole aim? To mold Josh Hoey into the world-class talent he always believed the young runner could become.

Centrowitz had once envisioned being the architect of Hoey’s rise. Instead, he became something more nuanced. The believer who didn’t get the final credit. “I wish I was driving the car that got there,” Centrowitz said. “But I’m just glad they got there,” he further added. His time coaching Hoey was marked by a search for consistency and a fight against stagnation. But even then, Centrowitz never questioned the ability of this track and field warrior. Even though Hoey struggled to better his NCAA time, the coach kept hoping against hope. “He’d get this fatigue stuff. But I never questioned his talent, his desire, and his determination because he fought through all this stuff like crazy.” To a seasoned track and field coach, Josh Hoey was recognized and admired for his grit and perseverance.

Eventually, the partnership ran its course. But the foundation was laid. Hoey’s breakout U.S. indoor title in 1:43.24 from February 2025, put him back in the spotlight. In Nanjing, he held off fierce late surges from Eliott Cretan and Elvin Canales, clinching the first spot at 1:44.77. It wasn’t just a win. It was a culmination. Sometimes, the ones who clear the road don’t take the final ride. But without them, there’s no journey at all. And all of these did not come without a long initial struggle.

How Josh Hoey finally found the coach who unlocked his potential

Josh Hoey’s journey was never about a lack of effort. Rather, it was about a lack of direction. Year after year, coach after coach, he poured himself into the sport without seeing the return he craved. Each switch promised a breakthrough. But none delivered. By the end of 2023, Hoey had become a 1:47 guy with five different coaching changes behind him and no real progress since his NCAA days. The frustration piled up, thick with the weight of missed expectations. He was ready to take the reins himself—not out of confidence, but as a last stand.

“I was at a point where I didn’t really trust anyone and didn’t really know if we could make it work,” Hoey admitted. He further added, “But I was intent on just not going through the painful experience of missed expectations.” He’d even come up with a name, ‘Once More Track Club’, a nod to Shakespeare’s Henry V and the emotional trench he was preparing to fight from. Josh wasn’t chasing glory anymore. He wanted control, even if it meant coaching himself into failure.

Then came a suggestion from his father. That was to reach out to an Australian coach named Justin Rinaldi. Encouraged by a trusted family friend, Hoey made the call. And just like that, everything changed. In 2024, he dropped from 1:47 to 1:43.80. In 2025, he’s undefeated indoors, an American record-holder, and a world champion. The right coach made all the difference.