Jamaica's silver medal winning girls 4x400m relay team members (from left) Sandrae Farquharson, Shericka Jackson, Janieve Russell and Olivia James pose with the falg after their 3:32.97 run. USA won the gold medal in 3:30.01 with Russia placing third in 3:36.42. - Contributed

Jamaica's juniors emerged from what team leader, Julette Parkes, described as the 'most challenging' World Junior Championships with five medals, after capturing silver in the women's 4x400m on yesterday's final day of competition inside Barcelona's Montjuic Olympic Stadium.

The quartet of Sandrae Farquharson, Olivia James, Shericka Jackson, and Janieve Russell registered a new season best time of 3:32.97. The United States women ran a world junior leading time of 3:30.01 for gold, while Russia copped the bronze in 3:36.42.

This represents the country's eight best ever showing at the championships, as they finished seventh in the medal standings and ninth overall on the points table with 59.

"It was the most challenging from the beginning in obtaining our visas, but we are happy we came and we did very well," Parkes shared. "Disappointed in some events in terms of our medals, we had predicted more gold medals, but we thank God for what we have received," she added.

She also took heart from the fact that a number of the athletes, though failing to medal, ran season best and personal best times.

"I know the promise is great, because those who never achieved a medal obtained their season best and if they have done their best, we can't ask them for more," she said.

Head coach, Michael Dyke, believes that if more was done for the juniors following the Penn Relays, which was held between April 26 and 28, the country would have ended up with more medals.

"I think there are areas which we have to look at; especially preparations after the Penn Relays in a year of a championship like this," Dyke said. "I think that has cost us another six medals; I think we should have left here with about 11 medals," he added.

Russell ended the championships with two medals, as along with her 4x400m silver, she ran a world leading and season best time of 56.62 for gold in the women's 400m hurdles on day five.

Odean Skeen also emerged with two medals after his personal best clocking of 10.28 landed him bronze in the 100m on the second day. He then teamed up with Tyquendo Tracey, Jevaughn Minzie and Jazeel Murphy on the fifth day of competition to establish a new national junior record of 38.97 for silver in the 4x100m final.

Jamaica's other medal was won by Fedrick Dacres on the third day, as he threw a personal best 62.80m for gold in the discus.

The nation was represented in three other finals on the closing day, with the men's 4x400m team comprising; Shavon Barnes, Javon Francis, Lennox Williams and Jermaine Fyffe finishing fifth, despite running a season best of 3:07.31.

The United States men took the event in a world junior leading time of 3:03.99. Poland claimed the silver in a new national junior record time of 3:05.05, with Trinidad and Tobago, 3:06.32, taking bronze.

Manchester High's Chanice Porter finished 13th in the women's high jump, as she failed to clear 1.78m, after having cleared the previous height of 1.73m on her second attempt.

Porter had on the fourth day broken Noelle Graham's 12-year-old national junior record of 6.53m in the final of the long jump with a leap of 6.58m, but had to settle for fourth.

Clive Pullen placed ninth in the men's triple jump final with his mark of 15.79m.

The team is scheduled to return to the island today at 3:30 p.m.