CALI, Colombia -- Adding four more medals, two of them silvers in the 400 meters, Team USA remains atop top of the medal table with nine overall after the Friday evening session at the IAAF World Youth Championships at Estadio Olimpico Pascual Guerrero
 
Josephus Lyles (Alexandria, Virginia) and Keshun Reed (Arlington, Texas) were the stars of the men’s 400m final, winning silver and bronze with times of 45.46 and 45.96 respectively. The field went out hard and Lyles was first to make up the stagger. Into the final turn, he had a slight advantage with teammate Reed and Jamaica’s Taylor gaining. Lyles and Taylor raced shoulder to shoulder on the final straightaway with Reed only a stride behind them. In the final meter, Lyles earned his silver with a lifetime best and the 10th-fastest time in youth history. It was the first time Team USA has earned two medals in the event.
 
Lynna Irby (Indianapolis, Indiana) made a run for gold from the gun in the women’s 400, making up the stagger and leading the field into the final stretch, where she held on for a massive lifetime best of 51.79 and a silver medal. With the finish, Irby becomes the only youth or junior female athlete in the U.S. to run under 52 seconds. Symone Mason (Miami, Florida) was eighth at 53.55.
 
The top three men in the 110mH finished within .04 seconds, and Isaiah Lucas (Houston, Texas) came away with the bronze in 13.54, the same time as the silver medalist even after clipping the eighth hurdle. Lucas earned the seventh medal over 110 barriers for Team USA in WYC history with a first-ever bronze.
 
Earlier in the semifinal, Lucas had the third best time overall at 13.50, winning the second section on a lean. His trail leg clipped hurdles seven and eight before he refocused to finish strong, edging himself into the final. Norman Grimes (Canyon, Texas) finished fifth in the third semifinal in 13.75 and did not advance to the final.
 
Bobby Colantonio (Barrington, Rhode Island) opened up the men’s hammer final with a 72.18m/236-10 throw that earned him a spot in the top eight. He improved to 73.79m/242-1 on his final attempt to move up to fifth place, the second best finish ever by an American.
 
With the top three and next two fastest advancing from two semifinals, the first section of the women’s 800 was a very even race through first 300m with virtually one pack. Sammie Watson was at the front at the bell in 69.86. On the back stretch Watson started picking up the pace along with the Ethiopian runner, and Watson was the strongest in the final 100 meters to win the heat in 2:10.89, .05 ahead of the runner-up.
 
After four events on the first day of heptathlon, U.S. athletes Caice Lanovaz and Jordan Fields sit in 27th and 31st place respectively. Lanovaz is 95 points ahead of the pace that saw her score 5041 at the World Youth Trials in Lisle with 3134 points, while Fields is just off her 5087 pace with 3063.
 
Team USA Medals at World Youth Championships (9)
 
Gold (2)
Candace Hill, 100m (11.08)
Adrian “Tripp” Piperi, Shot Put (22.00m/72-2.25)
 
Silver (4)
Lynna Irby, 400m (51.79)
Josephus Lyles, 400m (45.46)
Brittley Humphrey, 100mH (13.22)
Sophia Rivera, shot put (17.93m/58-10)
 
Bronze (3)
Isaiah Lucas, 110mH (13.54)
Keshun Reed, 400 (45.96)
Jayla Kirkland, 100m (11.41)
 
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The complete event schedule and results are posted at IAAF.org.