BUDAPEST, Hungary — National high jump champion Lamara Distin and both sprint relay teams stayed on course for medals after they made progress on Friday’s seventh day of the World Athletics Championships at National Athletics Center here on Friday.

Both relay teams won their semi-final heat and advanced to today’s final, while Distin had little trouble getting past the first round and into the final set for tomorrow’s final day of competition.

Distin, the Commonwealth Games champion last year, cleared 1.92m to secure her place in back-to-back finals but Kimberly Williamson could only manage a season best-equalling 1.85m — 28th best on the day — and failed to advance.

Former national champion Williamson needed almost all her allotment of jumps — failing twice at 1.80m and 1.85m — before failing at 1.89m.

Distin, who had one failure at 1.89m, admitted to being nervous at the start of the competition but said: “I had a talk with my coach and got over that and just got the job done.”

The three-time NCAA champion said she was being patient with her pursuit of the 2.00m mark.

“If it comes I will take it but I have to be patient and, who knows, it may come Sunday.”

The men’s relay team of Ackeem Blake, Oblique Seville, Ryiem Forde and Rohan Watson ran 37.68 seconds for second in their heat, just behind the USA’s 37.67 seconds.

They had the third-fastest time behind Italy’s world-leading 37.65 seconds to win the second race.The women’s team of Briana Williams, Elaine Thompson-Herah, Shashalee Forbes and Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce ran 41.70 seconds to win their semi-final race, ahead of Great Britain (42.33 seconds) and Switzerland (42.64 seconds).

The USA, who won the gold medal last year, won their semi-final in 41.59 seconds, beating the Ivory Coast who ran an African record 41.90 seconds and Italy who ran a national record 42.14 seconds.