McPherson aims for sub-49 times
Doha, Qatar:
With at least three other competitors running 48 seconds or close to it in the women’s 400m, Stephenie-Ann McPherson believes that there has never been a better time to erase her six-year-old personal best time in the event.
McPherson ran 49.92 seconds at the Monaco Diamond League in 2013 and followed up that performance with a 49.99-second run at the 2013 Moscow World Championships to win the bronze medal.
But the former Manning’s School athlete has not been able to venture beyond the 50-second barrier since.
And though she is on the other side of 30 years old, McPherson believes that the competitiveness of this field could drag her back into the 49 range.
“Last year when they ran their personal bests in Monaco I wanted to be in that race and it didn’t happen. I have always wanted to run with a field like this, where people are running close to 48 seconds,” she said.
Bahamian Shaunae Miller-Uibo and Salwa Eid Naser of Bahrain registered 48.97 and 49.08 seconds, respectively, at the Monaco Diamond League in 2018.
Both athletes returned similar times this season.
Miller-Uibo posted the fastest time of the season, 49.08 seconds, while Naser has the second best time with her 49.17s effort.
“I believe it (the strong field) will push me, and I think this is the perfect time for me to run a personal best again,” McPherson said. “But I have to push to make the final first to be there with them.”
McPherson and her training partner, Shericka Jackson, qualified for today’s semi-finals comfortably.
The 30-year-old registered 51.21 seconds for second in her heat, while Jackson also finished second with 51.13.
“Today (yesterday), the objective was to practise the first 200m, and it felt good. But I have to hear what the coach thinks about it. I believe anything is possible, and I work very hard. I have been running some pretty good times in training, so it is just for me to put it together out there,” she explained.
Anastasia Le-Roy, the other Jamaican entrant, failed to advance as she was placed sixth in her heat in 52.26 seconds.
Semi-finals of the women’s 400m are set to go off at 12:50 p.m. local time today.