Rio de Janeiro, Brazil — A sterling 43.78-second anchor leg by Javon Francis propelled Jamaica to the silver medal in the men’s 4x400m relay, as Jamaica ended the Olympic Games with 11 medals here at the Olympic Stadium last night.

With just today’s closing events to go, Jamaica currently sit in second place on the athletics medals table with six gold, three silver and two bronze. The Americans are on top with 31 medals, inclusive of 13 gold, 10 silver and eight bronze. African long-distance powerhouse Kenya were third with 12 medals, consisting of five gold, six silver and a bronze. China were fourth with six medals: two gold, two silver and two bronze.

Francis, as he did at the 2013 World Championships, produced the fifth-fastest split of all the runners and took Jamaica from fourth to second spot in a season’s best time of 2:58.16 minutes.

As expected, the United States of America (USA) continued their dominance of the event in a season’s best of 2:57.30 minutes. The Bahamas were third in 2:58.49 minutes, which was also a season’s best. Belgium established a new national record with 2:58.52 minutes for fourth. The emerging Botswana also broke their national record in 2:59.06 minutes for the fifth spot.

Francis, as he has been saying all season, just wanted the baton in striking distance to medal, and his teammates did just that and gave him the baton in fourth spot.

Jamaica made one change to the team that ran in the heats, bringing in Fitzroy Dunkley for national record holder Rusheen McDonald. Peter Matthews replaced McDonald on the leadofff and handed to Nathon Allen to Fitzroy Dunkley and then Francis.

Matthews gave Jamaica a good start, clocking 45.5secs, but Jamaica handed over fifth at the first exchange, leaving 19-year-old Allen to once again produce a 44-second split, which took Jamaica into third spot.

Dunkley ran a solid leg to hand the baton over to Francis simultaneously with The Bahamas’s Chris Brown in third place, and from there the former Calabar High School standout ran a measured, yet mature race, where he tracked Brown and USA’s LaShawn Merritt and Botswana’s Gaone Leaname Maotoanong down the backstretch, before executing an all out sprint over the last 150 metres to comfortably secure second place.

“My coaches and teammates all motivated me, and to get a medal at my first Olympic Games, it only shows me that I can achieve greatness,” said Allen.

The silver medal was Jamaica’s first since 2000 in Sydney and Matthews was just as excited. “It is a tremendous feeling; I am over-elated. I can’t explain how much I am happy to receive this.”

“Jamaica is known for having great quarter-milers; the great Herb McKenley, Arthur Wint and those guys set the trend way back in the past, and it was for us to show that we can still do it and take charge in the 4x400m,” he added.

Francis, who also secured his first medal at the Olympic Games, could not contain his happiness and his smile said it all.

“This is my first Olympics and I am going home with an Olympic medal. I am very excited,” Francis noted.

“When I saw Usain Bolt with his first gold medal, I said to myself, I want a medal to come back home. A lot of people doubted me and said I can’t do it. [But] last year at the World Championships was just a downfall for me; I just rebounded, changed up my strategy and came home victorious with my teammates,” said Francis.

“I always said I wanted to be in history like Herb McKenley, Arthur Wint and Bert Cameron…like those guys,” Francis added.

Dunkley, who only two years ago switched from high and long jumps to the 400m, is now a silver medallist in the mile relay and he too was ecstatic.

“It has not sunk it as yet. The whole team came together and we knew that we could perform as a unit and everybody took care of their business and we got a medal,” said Dunkley.

“We are still in disbelief right now and tomorrow morning when we wake up we will still believe it’s Saturday again. I am proud of the team and we made Jamaica proud,” he ended.