The 11th IAAF World Junior Championships has ended in China with Jamaica again having a spot among track and field's élite with a very good sixth-place finish.

Over 180 countries competed at the meet and Jamaica, one of the leading medal-getters since the inaugural championships in 1986, has been able to maintain a top ten finish at most meets. Excellent performances were produced by women's 400m hurdles winner, 19-year-old Kaliese Spencer, in her first World Junior Championships, and by the quartet of Winston Barnes, Remaldo Rose, Cawayne Jervis and Yohan Blake in the men's 4x100m.

No big surprise

National junior records were produced in both events with Spencer taking gold in 55.11 seconds and the relay quartet getting home in 39.05 seconds. It was no big surprise that Spencer struck gold. She has been competing on the grand prix circuit among senior athletes for some time and is in camp with the all-powerful MVP Track -Club coached by Stephen Francis. She would have gained a lot of confidence from being among 100m world record holder Asafa Powell and Sherone Simpson, the fastest woman in the world this year over 100m and 200m.

Blake's the one to watch

Among the boys, the athlete to watch is 100m bronze medallist Blake who is still eligible for another World Junior Championships. The St. Jago High student is still four months away from his 17th birthday (born December 26, 1989) and has best times of 10.33 for 100m and 20.92 for 200m. He is also a very good under 47 seconds 400m runner and will undoubtedly be one of the stars at next year's Boys' and Girls' Championships.

A silver medal at the World Junior championships is laudable but 400m runner Sonita Sutherland would have been disappointed that she failed to end her junior career without an individual gold medal in an event in which she went in as the favourite.

She will, however, take a lot of solace in the fact that she was beaten by a time well below her personal best 51.13. Gold medal winner Danijela Grgic of Croatia did 50.78, one of the fastest times ever at the championships.

I was also particularly impressed by the 15-year-old Carrie Russell who got a bronze in the women's 100m. She had won the sprint double at the Central American and Caribbean Junior Championships in Trinidad and Tobago earlier in the summer but few considered her a medal prospect in China. In fact she lost the silver by only a whisker to the fast-finishing American Gabby Mayo.

While we rejoice and praise the performances at another championships I feel strongly that we can do much better. For a number of years Jamaica has not been able to fully maximise its medal potential in the events in which the country is very good at.

Unbeatable kenyans

A leaf should be taken out of the book of Kenya. In Beijing they were virtually unbeatable in their pet events like the 1500m and 3000m steeplechase and they dominated these events to top the medal table with six gold, six silver and three bronze medals.

It is something for Jamaica to aim at. Two medals were won in in one event, the 400m hurdles, but the country should be looking to win multiple medals in traditionally strong events such as the women's and men's 100m, 200m and 400m and the women's 100m hurdles. This should be the next challenge for the coaches as we look towards the championships of 2008.