BYDGOSZCZ, Poland - Jamaica's Natasha Ruddock (right) prepares to attack a barrier during the heats of the Women's 100m hurdles event at the 12th IAAF World Junior Championships at the Zawisza Stadium yesterday. Ruddock advanced to today's semi-finals. (Photo: Paul Reid)

BYDGOSZCZ, Poland - Jamaica's medal hunt at the 12th IAAF World Junior Championships (WJC) continues on today's fourth day at the Zawisza stadium here in Bydgoszcz after a good showing yesterday.

Three Jamaicans qualified for their respective finals today, while two others, sprint hurdlers Shermaine Williams and Natasha Ruddock, cruised into the semis of the 100m event set for this afternoon.

Intermediate hurdler Nikita Tracey and 200m sprinters Jura Levy and Nickel Ashmeade are through to their finals which will be run in the afternoon session here.

As if inspired by Dexter Lee's golden run in the men's 100m a day earlier, the Jamaicans had a good day, mixed with some misfortunes as injuries continued to plague the team.

BYDGOSZCZ, Poland - Sprinter Nickel Ashmeade (left) competes in the semi-finals of the Men's 200 metres at the 12th IAAF World Junior Championships at the Zawisza Stadium yesterday. (Photo: Paul Reid)

In addition to the hospitalisation of high jumper Misha-Gay DaCosta over the weekend for a non track related illness, several members have come down with injuries, which have affected the team's performance.

Among the injured are Andre Peart, Trisha-Ann Hawthorne, Antonique Campbell and intermediate hurdler Shana-Gay Tracey.

Technical head of the delegation Jerry Holness told the Observer yesterday that despite the injuries he thought the team did very well and they were expecting to add to the one medal won so far.

"I think we had a good day. We have finalists in both 200m and the 400m hurdles and we have two very experienced runners in the 100m hurdles, so we are happy and confident that we will win some more medals tomorrow (today)," he told the Observer.

It was not all smooth sailing, however, as among those going down with injuries were 400m hurdler Tracey, who pulled up mid-way her semi-final race after the recurrence of a hamstring injury.

The injured muscle had kept her out of the National Junior Trials in mid-June, but she was passed fit to compete at the event and was an easy second in her first round heat on Wednesday.

She was, however, walking around later in the afternoon and said she was pain-free, but it was still touch and go whether she would take part in the heats of the 4x400m relays on Saturday.

Tracey, who is yet to win a single 400m hurdles race this season, will be the Jamaican standard bearer in this afternoon's 400m final after placing third in 57.84 seconds in the first semi-final.

Tracey, who will extend a brilliant run by Michael Dyke-coached athletes at the WJC, had run a personal best 57.58 seconds in the first round on Wednesday and told the Observer that she "felt good and was expecting to make it to the final".

The 17-year-old, who is the third straight Edwin Allen student to qualify for the final of the 400m hurdles at the WJC, said she was thrown off her rhythm on the back stretch after "shuffling between the hurdles", but said she will be fine for the final.

Today she will run out of lane eight in the final.
Levy, the Girls Champs Class Two 100m champion looks in good form, despite complaining about a niggling lower back injury, and was second in her semi-final heat in 23.92 seconds to get an automatic qualifying spot.

Her time was the slowest of all the qualifiers, which was led by Grenada's Canada-based Janelle Redhead's 23.47 seconds.

Levy, who had won her preliminary race in 23.82 seconds earlier in the day, said time was not important. "I was just running to make it from one stage to the next and right now I am in the final."

Jamaica's other entrant, US-based Trisha-Ann Hawthorne, was third in her qualifying heat in 24.12 seconds and qualified for the semi-finals, but was advised by the team doctor to sit out due to a niggling hamstring injury.

Ashmeade, the Boys Champs and CARIFTA Games champion, won both his races in 20.86 and 20.83 seconds, respectively, and looked easy in both, although he said his start in the semi-finals was not that good.

World Youth 200m gold medallist Ramone McKenzie, who lost his battle to get race fit after suffering an ankle injury in April, had no excuses after finishing last in his semi-final.

He struggled in the first round, advancing as one of the fastest losers after finishing third in his race in 21.5 seconds before trailing in with a 21.60-second time.

The sprint hurdlers, Williams and Ruddock, both US-based, cruised through their heats, both finishing second for automatic qualifying spots to the semi-finals set to be run at 5:05 pm (10:05 am Jamaica time).

Williams, the world leader who questioned her lane eight draw, ran 13.38 seconds to finish behind the Belarusian Alina Talai, who ran a personal best 13.34 seconds.

Ruddock's 13.73 seconds saw her finish behind Cuba's Belkis Milanes, who also had a personal best 13.62 seconds, and will run in the third of three semi-final heats.