BRIDGEPORT High School coach Carl Page says it was a mutual decision by himself, sprinter Jazeel Murphy and the athlete’s parents for him to leave high school a year early to join the Racers Track Club full-time under the tutelage of veteran coach Glen Mills.

“I thought it was better for him because he wanted to do something in food and nutrition, so I would like for him to go to a food and nutrition institute where he could do what he likes and go pro by running for Racers,” Page told the Jamaica Observer in an exclusive interview yesterday at GC Foster College, where he is in the third year of a degree programme.

Murphy, who turned 18 in February, would have a year remaining at Class One at the ISSA Boys’ & Girls’ Athletic Championships where he has claimed Class Two and Three titles before suffering an injury setback in recent years.

Page coached Murphy for five years while the athlete won successive Under-20 100m titles at the 2011 and 2012 Carifta Championships, the 100m and 200m titles in 2009, and finished fifth in the 100m at the IAAF World Junior Championships in Barcelona this year.

While a number of outstanding track and field clubs are now based in Jamaica, Page told the Sunday Observer Racers was best suited to them.

“We use the Racers facility for training purposes and we and Mr Mills and the other teammates at Racers get along well, so we decided to go with Racers,” he said.

Page admitted his high school team would take a big hit at next year’s Boys’ Championships.

“I know, but sometimes you have to make sacrifices and we know we lose a Jazeel Murphy, but we try to make it up with someone else and try to still have a team,” he stated.