FROM Saturday’s high of Elaine Thompson’s incredible 10.92 seconds world-leading women’s 100m run at the UTech Classic to Monday’s confirmation that two of Jamaica’s brightest young athletes would not be running for their high schools at the Penn Relays, track and field fans experienced the highs and lows that are part and parcel of the sport.

Thompson’s blazing speed took her from relative obscurity to the seventh fastest Jamaican woman ever, surprised track fans, leaving them celebrating the birth of a new star in the Jamaican pantheon.

The news that Jaheel Hyde and Michael O’Hara would not be able to compete for their school at ‘Penns’, while disappointing, cannot be a surprise, at least for those who are familiar with the rules under which the Penn Relays are run.

Both Hyde, who attends Wolmer’s Boys’, and O’Hara of Calabar High had signed endorsement deals with rival telecommunication companies earlier, which breached the ‘extra benefits’ rule, one of which guides American high school and college sports.

The rule basically says that no athlete should accept gifts or benefits that are not given to every member of the team.

Some years ago three Jamaican athletes at a major American university lost their scholarships after they accepted phones cards to call home.

No doubt both Wolmer’s Boys’ and Calabar will be seriously impacted by the absence of their star runners at Penn Relays next week, but there are lessons to be learned, if not by these two, then certainly by other athletes and, more importantly, by those who would seek to advise our athletes.

A week ago, Hyde was quoted as saying he would be competing at the Penn Relays for Wolmer’s and up to Tuesday he was listed as the top-ranked runner in the high school boys’ 400m hurdles. We know by now, however, that he will not be running, but it would be interesting to know where he got the assurance that he would be able to compete.

The question is: If he was given bad advice in what should have been a simple matter, what are the assurances that there will not be further mis-steps to come in the future? The timing of the announcements or the athletes signing these deals could have been better timed, if in fact they were expecting to compete at the Penn Relays, then waiting a few more weeks or months would not be that a big deal.

Undoubtedly, both young men were hoping to end their high school careers in style at the Penn Relays — Hyde retaining the hurdles title, possibly by breaking Dwight Ruff’s record of 50.47 seconds set in 2001.

With Edward Clarke not eligible due to the four-year rule, Calabar’s success in the high school boys’ 4x100m depended greatly on OHara’s talented legs on the backstretch.

With O’Hara out, it is not impossible, but will be difficult for Calabar, who set a high school world record 39.08 seconds in the 4x100m at Champs, to pose a serious challenge for the top spot at Franklin Field next Saturday.