Miller flourishing after Calabar-to-Hydel move

After making the switch from Calabar High to Hydel High School, talented Jamaican junior athlete Robert Miller says he is flourishing in his new environment and is expecting big things this season.

Miller, who will continue to be coached by Corey Bennett at the Ferry-based institution, said the move was about doing what was best for his development. Bennett, who coached at Calabar for the past three years, left the school at the end of last season after his contract was not renewed.

“It is about adapting to a new environment, because it is track and field and you just have to do what’s best for you at all times. It was a tough decision to move from Calabar to Hydel, but it is track and field, you have to do what is best, and I think that is what was best for me,” said Miller.

“Also, I haven’t received any negative feedback from anyone at Calabar because I believe that people understand it is track and field and you have to do what is best for you,” he said.

The 17-year-old is coming off a disappointing end to the high-school season last year, when he fell at the sixth hurdle in the final of the Boys’ Class 1 400m hurdles at the ISSA/GraceKennedy Boys and Girls’ Athletics Championships. However, he has already begun his redemption campaign in impressive fashion.

The soft-spoken Miller was in outstanding form on Saturday at the Purewater/R Danny Williams/JC Meet, where he won both the Class 1 400m hurdles and the 110m hurdles. He clocked 51.10 seconds to lower the Class 1 400m hurdles meet record of 52.35 at Jamaica College’s Ashenheim Stadium.

Miller then returned to erase the Class 1 110m hurdles meet record, clocking 13.76 seconds, bettering the previous mark of 13.83. Kingston College’s Michael Dwyer finished second in 14.01, while Davion Myers of Buff Bay High was third in 14.10.

“It is going to be a great season for me, because redemption is my theme for this season,” Miller said, though he did go on to win the Carifta Games Under-20 400-metre hurdles title last year.

Reflecting on last year’s disappointment at Champs, he added: “Last year, you know what happened in the final, when I fell at the sixth hurdle. So I am coming back this year and putting in the work and staying focused and being ready for whatever challenges come my way,” he pointed out. Miller also has his sights set on representing Jamaica on the international stage this year.

“The goal this season is to also represent my country at the World Under-20 Championships, and so I am working towards it as well,” he said.