JAMAICA’S youths will go hunting medals on today’s penultimate day of competition at the 9th IAAF World Youth Championships being held at the Pascual Guerrero Stadium in Cali, Colombia.

Jamaica will be represented in four finals — Lushane Wilson in the men’s high jump, Junelle Bromfield in the women’s 400m hurdles, Jauavney James in the men’s 400m hurdles and Leon Clarke in the men’s 800m finals.

Christopher Taylor had qualified with a world-leading and fifth best ever 45.30 seconds for last night’s men’s 400m final.

Also today, the first ever mixed gender 4x400m relay heats will be run, while Tissanna Hickling will take part in the preliminaries of the women’s long jump for a place in Sunday’s final.

Yesterday, three of the four Jamaican 200m runners advanced to their respective semi-finals today. Shaniel English and Shellece Clarke in the women’s as well as Xavior Angus in the men’s while Michael Bentley failed to progress.

English won her heat in 24.23 seconds (-0.9m/s), beating Austria’s Ina Huemer who ran a personal best 24.37 seconds and Japan’s Ami Saito – 24.44 seconds.

Clarke’s 24.63 seconds (0.3m/s) was goof for third in her heat behind Italy’s Alessia Pavese who ran a personal best 24.02 seconds and Brianna Bethel of the Bahamas – 24.32 seconds.

Angus, who also advanced to the 100m semis-finals earlier in the week, was second in his heat in 21.26 seconds (-0.1m/s), finishing behind Great Britain’s Toby Harries – 21.12 seconds and ahead of Michele Rancan of Italy who ran a personal best 21.41 seconds to advance as one of the fastest losers.

Bentley was not so lucky however, and failed to get past the first round after running 21.91 seconds

(-0.1m/s) to place third in his heat.

Today, Wilson will hope to at least match Christoff Bryan’s bronze medal from two years ago in Donetsk, Ukraine, when he lines up in the high jump.

He came into the championships ranked fifth in the world with his personal best 2.15m but could be asked to go higher if he is to get on to the medal podium.

James showed good foot speed in his semi-final on Thursday when he ran a personal best 51.96 seconds in the semi-finals but his hurdling is still suspect, especially on the corners.

The talented James is improving with every race and cannot be counted out of the medals.

Bromfield has made the finals of the women’s 400m hurdles despite not looking anywhere near her usual domineering best and today could be the day when she gets her race together and get the personal best she targeted coming into the championships.

Clarke will create Jamaican track history when he lines up in the finals of the 800m, the first man to compete in the finals of the event at this level, surpassing Theon O’Conner’s semi-final qualification in Marrakesh, Morocco, in 2005.

Clarke who ran a personal best 1 minute 50.70 seconds in the semi-finals on Thursday is the fifth Jamaican man to take part in the event but the first to advance as far.

Davian Parker in Sherbrook, Canada, in 2003, Donohue Williams in Ostrava, Czech Republic, in 2007 and Waquar daCosta in Italy in 2009 were the others who took part.