BYDGOSZCZ, POLAND – JULY 20: Lynna Irby from USA competes in Women’s 400 metres semi-final during the IAAF World U20 Championships at the Zawisza Stadium on July 20, 2016 in Bydgoszcz, Poland.

For a second successive July, Lynna Irby will go for gold on a world stage.

The Pike High School sprinter has qualified for Thursday’s 400-meter final in the under-20 World Junior Championships at Bydgoszcz, Poland.

Irby won the first of three semifinals Wednesday in 51.90 seconds. It was her fastest time since clocking 51.79, an all-time Indiana record, in winning a silver medal in the under-18 World Youth Championships at Cali, Colombia, last year.

Pike’s Lynna Irby named to ALL-USA track team

Irby, 17, is a nine-time state champion and is 45-0 in her Indiana high school postseason career. She was No. 2 overall behind Jamaica’s Tiffany James, 19, who won another semifinal in 51.77. No. 3 qualifier was Jessica Thornton, 18, of Australia in 52.12.

Irby also will go for a medal in Sunday’s 1,600-meter relay.

Elsewhere, Noah Lyles of Alexandria, Va., won a gold medal in the men’s 100 meters in 10.17. He nearly made the U.S. Olympic team in the 200, finishing fourth and setting a national high school record of 20.09 on July 9 at Eugene, Ore.

Call IndyStar reporter David Woods at (317) 444-6195. Follow him on Twitter: @DavidWoods007.