Calabar High’s loss is Hydel High’s gain, and it was glaringly clear on Saturday as Robert Miller stole the spotlight at the Purewater/R Danny Williams/JC Meet, setting two meet records in the 110m and 400m hurdles events.

The 17-year-old Miller has no regret about leaving ISSA Boys’ Athletics Championships title-chasing Calabar, who were second last year with 229 points, for Hydel.

Last year, Hydel won the Girls’ Athletics Championships, but failed to gain a point in the boys’ section.

“Well, it’s personal. But as you know, it’s track and field. So, we have to just adapt to the new environment and do what we have to do,” Miller told the Jamaica Observer.

Miller, shaping up to become a rising star of sprint hurdling in Jamaica, has thrown down the gauntlet with his season-opening bursts.

He got up Saturday morning and sped to an impressive 51.10 seconds to lower the Class One 400m hurdles record of 52.35 at Jamaica College’s (JC) Ashenheim Stadium.

The top four runners all dipped below the record as Jahvanie Tyrell of Kingston College (KC) clocked 51.85, Rojay Black of JC with 52.00, and Kishawn Hoffman of Excelsior did 52.29.

It was a significant morale-boosting victory for Miller, who fell while leading with two hurdles remaining in the Boys’ and Girls’ Championships final last year. Hoffman won that race in 50.97.

“It’s a great feeling, you know, I was disappointed last year at Champs, so I will just be focussed throughout the season,” he said.

Miller returned later on Saturday to smash the Class One 110 hurdles meet record, clocking 13.76, below the previous best of 13.83. KC’s Michael Dwyer was second with 14.01 and Davion Myers of Buff Bay High was third in 14.10.

Miller is no stranger to records as he is currently the Carifta Games Under-17 400m hurdles record holder with 52.19 which was achieved in 2024. Last year, he even put the Champs debacle firmly behind when he sped to an impressive 50.42 to win the Carifta Games Under-20 crown.

He achieved his personal best of 50.31 at the Jamaica Under-20 Championship last June, which was clear indication that he is on the right path.

Miller’s much-talked-about switch to Hydel High this season is a move that shocked the Calabar fraternity and significantly dented their chances of winning the coveted Champs crown — a title they have not claimed since 2018.

But his decision could not have been easy. He reached dizzy heights last season, achieving his personal best in both events while under the tutelage of the astute Coach Corey Bennett who was the head coach of Calabar for the last three years.

However, Bennett’s contract was not renewed by Calabar and he has moved on as sprints coach at JC while still being head coach at Hydel.

Miller, who has shown remarkable improvement, decided to stick with Bennett, but it was not feasible for him to switch to JC, a school struggling to contain its quota system of two transfer athletes per class. That made Hydel the logical choice.

“It’s a new environment, but, you know, same training plan, same coach as well. Just have come out and execute right, that’s how it is,” said Miller.

Having dropped a 51.10 this early in the season, signs are that Miller will be hard to beat at Champs in March and at the subsequent Carifta Games. He could even push for a spot on Jamaica’s senior team.

But he refrained from predicting what he could achieve this season.

“Some [people] expect to [see fast times] because of the hard work I’ve been putting in. So, results are expected, and as I say, hard work [is being put] in,” he reiterated.

“Just watch and see what will come,” he added with a wry smile.