(Jamaica Observer) MONTEGO BAY, St James — Jaheel Hyde, one of the most promising hurdlers of his generation, has made the expected progression to the professional ranks after signing a professional contract with German sportswear manufacturers Puma, his management company GCMC announced on Sunday.
“This association will directly benefit his pursuits as a student athlete who balances academics and sports,” a media release said. It added that the former Wolmer’s Boys’ student “will be pursuing tertiary studies at the University of the West Indies”.
He is the second high school star to announce a move to the professional ranks in the last two weeks after Calabar’s Michael O’Hara, who also signed with Puma.
Hyde won a rare treble when he took gold medals in three global championships in just over a 12-month period. He won the gold in the 110m hurdles at the IAAF World Youth Championships in Ukraine in 2013, gold in the 400m hurdles at the IAAF World Junior Championships in Eugene, Oregon a year later, before adding the 110m hurdles title at the Youth Olympics in China a few weeks later.
He set the National Junior Record 49.02 seconds in the 400m hurdles at the ISSA Boys Championships in March, but after missing the JAAA Junior Trials, pulled out of the finals in the 400m hurdles at the JAAA Senior Trials two weeks later.
