BUDAPEST, Hungary — First-time World Athletics Championships finalist Ackera Nugent broke out the dance moves in the mixed zone at National Athletics Centre in Budapest, Hungary, on Wednesday night to celebrate one of her biggest athletics achievements.

Nugent, 21, and 31-year-old Danielle Williams, who is in her fourth World Championships finals, will carry Jamaica’s hopes into Thursday’s 100m hurdles final.

Nugent, the NCAA double champion, ran 12.60 seconds (-0.7m/s) for second in her semi-final heat, behind defending champion and world record holder Tobi Amusan of Nigeria who timed 12.56.

Williams, the 2019 champion, was third in her race in 12.50 (-0.4m/s) to advance on time behind Puerto Rico’s Jasmine Camacho-Quinn (12.41) and American Nia Ali (12.49).

National champion Megan Tapper failed to get past the semi-finals for the second-straight World Championships by the smallest of margins. She ran 12.55 (0.5m/s) for fourth place in her heat.

Nugent, who recently gave up her final year of eligibility in the NCAA after signing with German sporting goods giants adidas, expressed unbridled joy after her race

“I’m feeling amazing,” she told journalists.

“I’m probably going out there as the youngest in the field but guess what? We did that!”

Despite repeating her first-round time of 12.60, she said there were some adjustments.

“My coach was like, ‘It’s game time. We got to go out there and stay focused as they are coming with their A game.’ So, basically, I went out there, did what I need to do.”

Nugent clipped the penultimate hurdle en route to the finish line.

“[It was] a mishap, but at the end of the day we made it through and we finished strong.”

The 2021 World Under-20 champion in Nairobi, Kenya, gave herself credit for persevering even when things looked tough. She said her back-to-back 12.60 clockings indicate that “something big is coming”.

Williams, who was sixth last year in Eugene, Oregon, was delighted to be returning to the final as she said at one point in the season that goal was looking like a long shot.

“I’m so thankful; I give God all the glory, all the praise. I mean, at the beginning of the season I had this on the goal board: ‘We’re going to make World Champs finals.’ It didn’t look like it was going to happen at the beginning of the season, some doubts started creeping in, but I just kept practising and kept being faithful and here I am,” she said.

Williams said she knew she had to be close to her best to get past the semi-final.

“I went out there knowing that I had to come with an almost-perfect race because I had the world’s best hurdlers next to me, so I knew I had to come up with my best.

“I felt like I had the race in the bag but I had a small mishap around hurdle six or so, so I have to go back and watch it — but I knew something happened there. But, I did my best just to hang on for that final automatic qualifying spot,” she explained.