SUPER SPECIAL JAHEEL HYDE

What can one say about Jaheel Hyde that wouldn’t sound like an understatement, especially after his performance at the Youth Olympics in Nanjing, China. Many will remember the date August 23, 2014 as the day Jaheel Hyde became the first Jamaican male youth to win a sprint hurdles gold medal at the Youth Olympics, the first youth athlete to break 13 seconds in the 110m hurdles, and perhaps the first ever to hold a World Youth, World Junior and Youth Olympic title simultaneously. This is absolutely incredible, even if this is only the second edition of the Youth Olympics.

The last year has been an incredible for the super-talented 17-year-old Wolmerian whose astonishing goal in last year’s Manning Cup final against Jamaica College almost helped his team secure the schoolboy title. It took the talents of another talented Jamaican, Junior Flemming, to deny Hyde and Wolmer’s. On the track however, Hyde has been a juggernaut.

In Donetsk, Hyde won the sprint hurdles title in 13.13 seconds running into a strong headwind. He missed the world record by 0.01 seconds. He was the first Jamaican to accomplish that feat. Months later at Champs 2014, Hyde destroyed the national junior record set the year before by Kingston College’s Omar McLeod in the 400 metre hurdles, taking almost half-a-second off the latter’s time to clock a world-leading 49.49 seconds. For good measure he cops the sprint hurdles title at champs as well.

He was far from done. Running on what must have been tired legs, Hyde travelled to Eugene, Oregon in early August and took on the world’s best junior hurdles and destroyed them lowering his own world-leading time to 49.28, winning comfortably while looking around for his rivals. He flies from Eugene to China where he obliterates the sprint hurdles record that had just eluded him a year earlier. Oh, and lest I forget, he is also the CARIFTA Games champion.

I remember watching his dad Lenny Hyde as he displayed magical talents playing for Clarendon College back in the 1970s. I remember how his sublime football skills drove fear into the hearts of opponents and made the Manning Cup champions, Calabar, look like the schoolboys they were in the Olivier Shield final. Fast forward almost four decades and it’s like watching ‘Teacha Hyde” do it all over again, this time moreso on the track.

There is no doubt Jaheel is talented but what impresses me most about him is what his dad reveals about his work ethic and his determination. The elder Hyde reveals that it is his son who wakes him at 5 each morning and drags him out to Stadium East where he channels and hones his incredible talent into what we are seeing today.

One gets the feeling that once he decides which event he wants to focus on we could be in for many years of extra special performances. It wasn’t that long ago that we saw the burgeoning talents of one Usain St. Leo Bolt on show. We could very well be seeing another incredible talent emerging before our very eyes. Talent, I daresay, that could eventually eclipse the significant accomplishments of the man we now called Legend even though that would take some doing.

With Hyde though, you always get the feeling that he is never fully extended. You get the feeling that he always has a lot more left in store. Which ever of the hurdles he chooses there is one thing we do know for certain and that is he will excel.

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10 Responses to “SUPER SPECIAL JAHEEL HYDE”

Michelle Pink says:

August 24, 2014 at 5:54 am

Jaheel Hyde is truly talented, his form and technique is beautiful. He will surely be a force to reckon with as he advances further.
Paul says:

August 24, 2014 at 10:01 am

Very Talented Kid. I can see him Breaking Kevin Young’s world record in the 400m hurdles{46.76 sec} by the 2020 Olympics. He can achieve this if he gives up football.
Donovan Manhu says:

August 24, 2014 at 11:08 am

You have eloquently painted a mesmerizing picture this Phenom, Jaheel Lenny The Baller Hyde. But, if you don’t mind, I would like to add an important fact: Jaheel, from what I gleaned from the newspaper was successful in 7 CSEC subjects, including 4 ones!! It was a special treat to have met him in Eugene, including his loving and supportive parents (knew Lenny from CC days), and I find him to exude quite yet supreme confidence. So not only is Jaheel athletically gifted, he’s also academically gifted.
Donovan Manhu says:

August 24, 2014 at 11:11 am

You have eloquently painted a mesmerizing picture of this Phenom, Jaheel Lenny The Baller Hyde. But, if you don’t mind, I would like to add an important fact: Jaheel, from what I gleaned from the newspaper, was successful in 7 CSEC subjects, including 4 ones!! It was a special treat to have met him in Eugene, including his loving and supportive parents (knew Lenny from our CC days), and I find him to exude quite yet supreme confidence. So not only is Jaheel athletically gifted, he’s also academically gifted.
I. Gordon says:

August 24, 2014 at 6:24 pm

Let us hope that he remains injury free. I have tried to follow his exploits as much as possible and am impressed to hear of his work ethic. He can do both sports and should not be pressured into dropping one.

By the way, mention is made of that Olivier Shield football match between Clarendon College and Calabar High School in 1977/78. I implore everyone to try to locate a copy of the now defunct Daily News and read the report on that game. The game was football at its very best.
Michael Anderson, says:

August 25, 2014 at 5:45 am

this is a special athlete,my wish is he stay home,move from the junior to the senior where it’s a different kettle of fish,where the hurdles are higher. If he can get into U.W.I.,Have a senior coach like Fitz. COLEMAN to guide him,train with his idol Hansel Parchment, the sky.s the limit.My wish is he choose the 400H. His height, speed and strength is better for the 400H. Another junior who would well in the hurdles is O.hare from Calabar,his height and speed is best for the 110H.HOPE HE GOES TO Coleman also.Going overseas would not be good for these guys as they would run them in the ground to win championship,100m,400m,110h,400h both relays, i know what i am talking about.Boys Champs 110H will be “HOT” next year. O’Hare,Hyde and Tyler Mason, cant wait.
dallo says:

August 25, 2014 at 10:30 am

could become first hurdler to pull off the 110/400 double. wish him wellness and good health.
Michael Anderson aka cheri-toe says:

September 3, 2014 at 1:32 am

waiting for the news,Hyde goes to u.w.i.,get a puma deal,train with the best hurdles coach in the world “Fitz Coleman”.what he has is a great mom and dad who know sport and will be there 100%.training is no joke,to be up at 4am every morning to train is “tuff business”.Football should be a thing of the past.one lick(tackle)INNA the knee or ankle and you need a pin to hold it in place,as jamaican say “a dun yu dun”,lot of what if is out there.wish him and his family the very best.Lenny my boy,he has a wonderful son,has manners and is very respectful,the sky’s the limit for him. Another wishlist,both Tracy sisters run to Coleman before its too late,time is running out. sprinting and hurdling are two different thing,Mills and Franno are the two best sprint coach in the world,Colemen the best hurdles in the world.Jamaica is lucky to have all these coaches at once,nothing last forever,man does not live forever.Unity is the key word here,all the senior coaches got to come together as one,plan for Jamaica first,not club first.the next world championship wont be easy, the U.S.will be coming guns blazing.4/100 men/women will be fireworks,ENGLAND putting it together also.a fit BOLT,BLAKE AND ASAFA WE WILL BE READY.LOOKING FOR C.WILLIAMS to make the senior team for the W/C.she is going to shock the world soon.WILLIAMS/STEWART/VCB/SHELLY, I WOULD LIKE TO SEE THAT RUNNING ORDER SOMETIME NEXT YEAR.ENOUGH SAID.
marjorie hapgood says:

September 16, 2014 at 6:28 pm

the young man is blessed hope he can take it to the higher level continue to obey and abide by his wonderful parents who is there for him every day choose a special event to take you to the level you want to go then branch out in other areas may god continue to bless and keep you looking to see you in the big events soon
Champs School Profile – Wolmer’s Boys & Girls | diGJamaica Blog says:

March 16, 2015 at 5:39 pm

[...] of the current crop of hopefuls for Jamaica’s continued athletic excellence, including Jaheel Hyde, who has won the 400m hurdles at the 2014 world junior championships and the 110m hurdles at both [...]