Barcelona - The old saying don't judge a book by its cover could be applied to Ajee Wilson's outing in the heats of the women's 800m at the IAAF World Junior Championships on Tuesday.

The American middle distance runner, who hails from the wonderfully named Neptune in New Jersey, was just content to cruise through to the semi-finals in second place in the slowest of the morning's five heats.

However, coming from a place named after the god of the seas – and where could be more appropriate for someone from her town to display her talents than on a track overlooking the Mediterranean? – Wilson could prove to be a petite goddess of the track when the final is contested on Thursday, despite the women's 800m being among the most open events on the programme in Barcelona.

"I just wanted to make sure I had a position in the top three so I just ran securely," reflected the 2011 World Youth Championships gold medallist over two laps after her return to competition on European soil.

"That's OK. Normally I don't worry about any set pace, I just go with the race and stay close to whoever takes it out. The plan was just to make the semi-finals (which will be contested on Wednesday).