LIMA, Peru – Kerrica Hill is on course for historic back-to-back gold medals in the 100m hurdles on today’s penultimate day of the World Athletics U20 Championships at Estadio Atletico de la Videna in Lima after cruising through the first two rounds yesterday.

Despite biting cold weather, Hill looked untouchable, running the fastest times in the first round and the semi-final and hinted at something special today, if the weather cooperates.

Chavez Penn retired after one jump in the men’s triple jump final yesterday after getting a mark of 14.71m (1.5m/s) but appeared to have injured himself.

He passed on his second jump but retired.

Jamaica will hope to add to their lone gold medal, won by Alana Reid in the women’s 100m on Wednesday as Richard Hall is also through to the final in the 100m hurdles as well as Shanoya Douglas in the women’s 200m.

Also today, Chad Hendricks and Shaiquan Dunn will contest the first round of the men’s discus throw, while both male and female 4x100m and 4x400m relay teams will seek to advance to their respective finals set for Saturday’s final day of competition.

Additionally, Kelly Ann Carr will contest the women’s 400m hurdles semi-finals, while Daniel Wright and Trevoy Smith will line up in the men’s 400m hurdles.

After leading the first round with 13.18 seconds (0.4m/s), Hill lowered her time to 13.00 seconds (0.1m/s) in the afternoon’s semi-finals but Habiba Harris failed to make the cut after placing fourth in her semi-final heat in 13.64 seconds (0.0m/s), 11th overall.

Hill said her second race was “better” than the morning’s run despite the temperatures dropping.

“Well, this, this one was better, like, it’s pretty cold, but the weather from this morning and now is pretty different,” Hill said. “This one was better, the time was a little bit faster as well.”

The world leader and championships record holder told reporters, “It’s really what I expected, but as I said, it’s cold out there, so I don’t really expect anything spectacular right now, I am just taking it step by step to the final.”

Hall was happy getting to the final, saying there had been doubters and he was happy to have proved them wrong.

The national junior champion ran 13.44 seconds (-0.6m/s) to finish second behind JaKobe Tharpe, who ran a World Under 20-leading 13.11 seconds and admitted that while it was faster than the first round’s 13.58 seconds, it was not as smooth as he had hoped.

“It’s a great feeling, you know, I am going out there, I’m going to represent,” adding that the very cold temperatures might have contributed to his performance. “It’s a bit colder out there, but, you know, nevertheless, I came through and made it to the final.”

Daniel Beckford, who had made it through the first round on time, was sixth in his semi-final race in 13.80 seconds (0.7m/s).

Shanoya Douglas will carry the Jamaican flag in the final of the women’s 200m after placing second in her semi-final race in 23.34 seconds (-0.6m/s) behind Australia’s Torris Lewis’s 23.14 seconds and just ahead of Great Britain’s Renee Regis, 23.54 seconds.

Sabrina Dockery, who was fourth in her semi-final race in 23.75 seconds (-0.6m/s), missed the final by one spot, finishing ninth overall in the round.

Earlier Dockery had run 23.80 seconds for second in the first round.

Douglas, who had won her first round race in 23.51 seconds (0.6m/s) was grateful to be in the final.

“I am happy, I’m also thankful, because, first of all, without God, I wouldn’t be here, and without God helping me through the morning and right now, because the times are very cold right now, I wouldn’t be here because even while I was warming up and it was so cold, I told myself, ‘Mi haffi go out there and push through, through the coldness,’ “ she said.