WHO knows? Perhaps by last night — end of the first day of the World Athletics Championships — a few of the many questions continuously asked by Jamaicans and athletics-followers globally will be closer to being answered.

That’s although only one medal was on offer yesterday — the 4x400m mixed relays.

Also, of course, Jamaicans had a great interest in the heats of the men’s 100 metres, late Friday.

Today and onwards Jamaica’s world-conquering female sprinters will attract special attention in Eugene, Oregon, USA.

Can Mrs Elaine Thompson-Herah get back to her extraordinary, gold medal-winning form of a year ago at the Tokyo Olympics? How will Mrs Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce — now 35 years old — fare?

What of Miss Shericka Jackson? Can she sustain, even improve, her outstanding performances at the National Championships in Kingston last month?

On the men’s side, Mr Yohan Blake will inevitably be at the centre of attention.

Will Mr Blake — whose stunning 100-metre, 9.85-second run at the National Championships was his fastest since 2012 — return to his very best?

And, what of the young guns led by Mr Oblique Seville? Can they, in partnership with Mr Blake, send a signal to the world that Jamaican male sprinting is back? Can they, perhaps, even upset the new American wonder boy, Mr Fred Kerley?

All these questions and countless others will be answered over the next several days.

Like many, if not most track experts, Head Coach Mr Maurice Wilson and Team Manager Mr Lincoln Eatmon are expecting a double-digit medal count in Eugene.

But given memories of the ‘disaster’ of 2017 when Jamaica won just four World Championships medals, we are confident complacency won’t be a factor.

We note Mr Wilson’s reference to changing logistics for coaches and managers at events such as this — something which is out of the public eye but is crucial to actual performance.

Says he: “The fact that we are working virtually, in terms of confirmations and declarations, things are a little bit different, and so we are trying as best as possible to stay on top of these situations as they arise…”

And further, it was important that the Jamaica Athletics Administrative Association, the body that runs Jamaican athletics, “learn from this experience so we can have more persons on the ground based on the developments that I am seeing… as we move forward we may need to increase our numbers of managers as the logistics are many and changing”.

Crucially, after coaches and back-room staff have done their best, it all comes down to the individual competitor.

The testimony of sprint hurdler Mr Rasheed Broadbell, who qualified for Oregon after a long period of struggle and disappointment, seems very appropriate. Says he: “Earlier in the season I started taking a different approach to how I do my training. I buckled down in the gym, changed my eating habits, and started going to bed early, and now I’m feeling pretty good. I am in good shape right now…”

Ultimately, such can make the difference between a medal winner and an ‘also ran’.