AS the dust settled on another global athletics meet, the relevant question from a Jamaican perspective is whether or not out athletes did justice to their status and capabilities in Daegu, given their auspicious recent displays and subsequent ascension to the throne of world sprinting.

The final medal count of four gold, four silvers and a bronze for nine overall was a significant shortfall from the impressive 13 in Berlin. However, given the general circumstances, it was a fair display and an invaluable dress rehearsal for the London 2012 Olympics, which from all indications, promises to be one of the events of the century.

For me, Daegu served up a plethora of lessons, the first of which embraced the theme of preparation. In this mode, the complaint from the Jamaican camp about food quality was unfortunate, but suggested inadequate research and a gross oversight by the team management ahead of such an important championship.

Indeed, it doesn’t take an expert to figure out that physical skill apart, food intake is the single most important factor in an athlete’s life. It’s the fuel which provides the necessary energy and ultimately propels individuals during competition.

As it relates to the Jamaicans in Daegu, reports suggest that the available food was not to the liking of some athletes and was far removed from what they deemed palatable and was familiar with.

If, in fact, that was the case, the lesson ahead of London is timely and should be rapidly addressed by the local administration.

Meanwhile, the experts agree that Kaliese Spencer was a cinch for a medal of any colour in Daegu. However, we only learnt of her injury well into the championships, where she placed fourth after looking a mere shadow of herself in the earlier rounds.

When it is considered that Spencer has been, by a distance, the best performer in the 400m hurdles over the past two years, this was without doubt a major disappointment for her as it must have been for all Jamaicans.

The 400m hurdles is acknowledged as the most gruelling and demanding event on the track — behind only the 3,000 steeplechase. As such, a logical conclusion as it relates to the 2006 World Junior champion is that she may simply have been too active on the Diamond League circuit and could perhaps have competed less in preparation for the IAAF World Championships in South Korea.

Nonetheless, I’m convinced that Spencer and her handlers will recognise the didacticism of Daegu and that she will rebound convincingly at the Olympics.

If this theory obtains, an authentic rematch with compatriot and training partner Melaine Walker and American Lashinda Demus could materialise in a year’s time.

An unfortunate facet of the Spencer situation was the obvious lack of communication between the JAAA and the athlete’s training camp. One recalls that the public relations arm of the former had earlier announced that there were no injury concerns entering the meet — a farcical statement on the heels of a similar situation which emerged with MVP ‘stablemates’ Asafa Powell and Walker, on which the MVP camp remained silent.

The third lesson according to the 2011 WC is a positive one from a Jamaican standpoint as it proved that we are still the dominant nation in sprinting. The records will show that Jamaica won three gold medals in the 100 and 200m — courtesy of VCB, Usain Bolt and Yohan Blake — compared to one by the United States .

Further, while the USA claimed another women’s sprint relay title, Jamaica did likewise among the men. Overall, therefore, we would have captured four gold medals and the USA two in six sprinting events and so remain comfortably ahead.

For me, it was heart-warming to see the quartet of Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, Sherone Simpson, Kerron Stewart and VCB secure a close second in the 400m relay with three-quarters of the squad not being on top of their game.

Indeed, one could clearly see that Simpson and Stewart were a far cry from their 2008 and 2009 forms; however, there was no plausible alternative as far as the management team was concerned. This leads to the matter of the questionable depth of Jamaica’s female sprinting.

For, as opposed to the men where Bake won the 100m as a third-string runner, behind Bolt and Powell, and with the promising Dexter Lee, Mario Forsythe, Jacques Harvey and so many others waiting in the wings, there is no such luxury among the women.

This is should be an area of major concern and concentration for the local administration, made even more obvious by the fact that the aforementioned quartet has been virtually unchallenged on the local scene for some time now.

The gravity of the situation is brought to the fore when it is further considered that that Simone Facey and Anneisha McLaughlin were finalists in the half-lap event in Berlin, but were nowhere to be found in Daegu and as such raises the question of sustainability.

Is it a case, then, where we should begin to seriously look at athletes like Carrie Russell, the World University Games 100m title-holder, for the answer?

For, it would indeed be unfortunate if, like the West Indies cricket team, we sit on the laurels of our accomplishments and ignore the prudence of succession, only to experience the backlash of a lengthy drought in the face of increasing competition from our envious rivals.