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Hyde keen to see Campbell-Clarke Champs clash
Published:Wednesday | March 30, 2022 | 12:13 AMHubert Lawrence/Gleaner Writer
NO ONE knows for sure what will happen at the ISSA/GraceKennedy Boys and Girls’ Athletics Championships in the Class one 400-metre hurdles, not even the fastest ever in the event, Jaheel Hyde.
Speaking at last Saturday’s John Wolmer Speed Fest, Hyde simply wished Rayon Campbell of Kingston College and Roshawn Clarke of Camperdown the best of luck.
Campbell and Clarke went one-two at the recent Carifta Trials in 49.52 and 49.85 seconds, respectively, and whatever the result at Champs, Hyde hopes they will better those times when they meet.
Their performances at the Trials placed them second and fourth behind Hyde on the all-time Jamaican under-20 list but he can’t say who will win when they meet again.
“I’m not sure,” he replied with genuine wonder, even though he trains with Clarke under the supervision of Swept Track Club and Camperdown head coach Okeile Stewart. “They’re two fantastic athletes,” said Hyde.
“But you know, of course, I have to root for my training partner and do whatever I can, you know, to help him to come out victorious on the day, but it would be nice to see both of them running faster than what they did before.”
POSSIBLE RETURNERS
Five athletes could return from the 2021 final in which Clarke finished third behind Javier Brown of Jamaica College and Excelsior High’s Devontie Archer, who later was third at the World Under-20 Championships. The other possible returners are Kemario Neil of STETHS, Campbell, Jayden Brown of Jamaica College, the 2019 Carifta Games Under-17 winner, and Javel Fullerton of Calabar High School. In addition, the top two from Class Two, Antonio Forbes of Kingston College and Western champion Shamer Blake of STETHS are now in Class One.
Forbes ran 50.48 seconds for third place in the Carifta Trials final and, like Campbell, is well coached by hurdles expert Rahnsomn Edwards.
Campbell, Clarke and Forbes are currently the second, third and fourth fastest under-20 hurdlers in the world, with Nigerian Ezekiel Nathaniel on top of the list at 49.14 seconds.
Hyde holds the national junior record at 48.81 seconds. During his Class One days at Wolmer’s Boys’ School, he clocked 49.48 seconds at Champs in 2014 and then 49.01 at the 2015 renewal at the high school spectacular. That was before the Open 400-metre hurdles was split into Class One and Two. Since then, Rovanne Williams of Rhodes Hall and Brown have adjusted the Class One record to 49.94 seconds and 49.86 seconds in 2018 and 2021, respectively.
Hyde, now a two-time Olympic 400-metre hurdles semi-finalist, was delighted by his own performance on Saturday, where he clocked a personal best of 45.78 seconds for the flat 400.
“I’m happy, very happy. It’s been a long time coming. Just needed to put the race together. I was able to do that today, so I’m very pleased with that. I couldn’t ask for anything more,” the usually cool Hyde said buoyantly.