It would’ve been so much sweeter had Jamaica’s 4x400m women’s relay team held off the fast-finishing Dutch in Sunday’s final event of the World Athletics Championships in Budapest, Hungary.

Yet, no praise can be too high for the committed self-sacrifice that earned the Jamaicans that precious silver – the only medal on the final day.

We can safely say our women left it all on the track.

That effort and commitment from Jamaicans was evident every day of this fabulous nine-day championships which earned the country three gold medals among 12 overall.

That’s ahead of the achievements at the World Champs in Oregon, United States, last year when the Jamaicans came away with 10 medals – including two gold.

At last check, Jamaica placed fourth in terms of medals in the just-ended championships, only behind the USA, Canada, and Spain.

Such has been the improvement over recent years, many of us barely remember the gloom of 2017 in London when Jamaica won just four World Championships medals, inclusive of one gold as the great Mr Usain Bolt said goodbye to competition.

The fear then was that this country’s track and field programme was going backwards.

Instead, optimism has soared with results at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 and at last year’s World Champs.

A critical aspect has been the continuing impressive growth for Jamaican athletes in non-traditional events such as the jumps and throws – the result of a determined push at all levels.

That was underlined by long jump silver and bronze medals for Messrs Wayne Pinnock and Tajay Gayle after fiercely intense competition, with Mr Miltiadis Tentoglou of Greece eventually winning gold.

Also, there’s been a proliferation of talented young athletes, male and female, reflecting the strength of our junior programme. In that respect, the 400-metre gold medal from 21-year-old Mr Antonio Watson is of particular significance.

Bear in mind that his was the first Jamaican 400-metre gold medal at World Championships or Olympic Games, since Mr Bertland Cameron at the very first World Champs, 40 years ago in Helsinki, Finland.

The hope now must be that other young male sprinters struggling to break the 10-second and 20-second barrier in the shorter sprints will be inspired by the highly talented Mr Watson to invest in the admittedly gruelling 400 metres.

It all bodes well for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, France, when we expect mature talent led by the likes of sprinters Mrs Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, the high-riding Ms Shericka Jackson, Mrs Elaine Thompson-Herah, and the redoubtable hurdlers Ms Danielle Williams and Mr Hansle Parchment will twin with the emerging young to bring even greater glory to this country.

Good news from Sunday was that Mrs Fraser-Pryce, who suffered an injury during Saturday’s silver-medal sprint relay run, may not have been too seriously hurt.

Mrs Fraser-Pryce has made it no secret that she wants to end her glittering international career in Paris when she will be 37 years old. She has struggled with injuries and niggles this year which have effectively limited her time on the track.

We wish her all that’s good.