CALI, Colombia -- On another four-medal night Saturday at the Estadio Pascal Guerrero, Sydney McLaughlin (South Plainfield, New Jersey) set a World Youth Championships record of 55.94 to win the women’s 400mH and Norman Grimes (Canyon, Texas) smashed his lifetime best with a 49.11 to take gold in the men’s race and increase Team USA’s medal total to 13 with one day remaining.
 
Saturday’s male and female 400mH gold-medal sweep was only the second in meet history for the U.S. after William Wynne and Dalilah Muhammad first accomplished the duo in 2007, and Grimes was only a tenth of a second off Wynne’s meet record. Brandee Johnson (Suffolk, Virginia) had a lifetime-best 57.47 in the event to claim bronze behind McLaughlin.
 
Team USA’s second bronze of the evening came from high jumper Darius Carbin (San Jose, California), who soared over a lifetime-best 2.16m/7-1 on his third attempt. Carbin had no misses at his previous four heights and joined Justin Fondren as the only Americans to ever medal in the event. Jaron Brooks (Lexington, Kentucky) was also in the top five, clearing 2.14m/7-0.25 on his second try to place fifth.
 
In the women’s 200m, Lauren Rain Williams (Lakewood, California) once again posted the fastest qualifying time, running a sizzling 23.03 in the third semifinal for a PR by .13 seconds. In the second semi, World Youth Champion at 100m Candace Hill (Stockbridge, Georgia) finished in 23.21 for a comfortable victory despite the race being delayed or called back a total of five times.
 
Josephus Lyles (Alexandria, Virginia) got out to a convincing start and never looked back despite efforts of Britain’s Toby Harries to challenge his lead. Lyles maintained his spot atop the heat, finishing in a PR, 20.93, marking the first time he’s run under 21 seconds.
 
Tripp Piperi (The Woodlands, Texas) opened with a foul in the men’s discus, but then had a personal best 58.81m/192-11 in the second round before four fouls closed out the competition, placing him sixth. Gabriel Oladipo (Houston, Texas) was ninth with a best of 55.98m/183-8.
 
Facing the toughest field of her career, Julia Heymach clocked 4:21.78 for a lifetime best in the women’s 1500 meters, taking eighth behind Ethiopia’s Bedatu Hirpa, who ran the fastest youth time in the world this year with a 4:12.92.
 
Others finishing in the top 10 in their finals were Rachel Baxter (Orange, California), who was ninth in the women’s pole vault with a best height of 3.85m/12-7.5, Carson Dingler (Bolingbroke, Georgia) in tenth at the same height. Tara Davis (Agoura Hill, California) was ninth at 12.65m/41-6 in the women’s triple jump.
                       
In the final 20 meters of the heptathlon 800, Caice Lanovaz (Los Gatos, California) overtook second place to finish the 800 meters in 2:24.27 and score 5,181 points, a lifetime best and good for 22nd. Jordan Fields (Saint Johns, Florida) ran 2:21.55 in the 800 to finish 27th with 4,982 points.