Stephenie Ann McPherson (born 25 November 1988) is a Jamaican retired track and field athlete, who specializes in the 400 metres. She has won a bronze medal in the event at the 2013 World Championships, and then placed in the finals of both the 2016 Rio Olympics and the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and all four following World Championships between 2015 and 2022, consecutively. McPherson earned also a bronze at the 2022 World Indoor Championships. She added medals in the 4 × 400 metres relays, taking a silver at the 2016 Olympics, a gold in 2015 in Beijing, and a bronze in 2019.
In June 2021, McPherson went sub-50 seconds for the first time since 2013, the only year in which she had achieved it, setting her new personal best. She retired after competing at the 2024 Summer Olympics.
Career
McPherson was the silver medalist from the 2014 World Indoor Championships as a member of the 4 × 400 metres relay team. She took two gold medals at the Commonwealth Games winning the individual 400 m and the 4 × 400 m relay. Within that same year, she added the gold medal at the Continental Cup as a part of team America in the 4 × 400 m relay.
In 2022, McPherson won her second global medal after a bronze at the 2013 World Championships, taking also a bronze for the women's 400 metres at the World Indoor Championships in Belgrade, Serbia with a national indoor record of 50.79 seconds. Thus, she improved on her fourth place from the 2016 World Indoors. McPherson also anchored Jamaican women's 4 × 400 relay, winning gold along with teammates Junelle Bromfield, Janieve Russell, and Roneisha McGregor.
Achievements
All information taken from World Athletics profile.
Personal bests
| Event | Time (s) | Venue | Date | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 200 metres | 22.90 | Kingston, Jamaica | 17 April 2021 | |
| 400 metres | 49.34 | Tokyo, Japan | 4 August 2021 | #3 Jamaican all-time |
| 400 metres indoor | 50.79 | Belgrade, Serbia | 19 March 2022 | NR |
International competitions
| Year | Competition | Venue | Position | Event | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | World Championships | Moscow, Russia | 3rd | 400 m | 49.99 |
| 2014 | World Indoor Championships | Sopot, Poland | 2nd | 4 × 400 m relay | 3:26.54 |
| Commonwealth Games | Glasgow, United Kingdom | 1st | 400 m | 50.67 | |
| 1st | 4 × 400 m relay | 3:23.82 | |||
| Continental Cup | Marrakesh, Morocco | 1st | 4 × 400 m relay | 3:20.93 WL | |
| 2015 | World Relays | Nassau, Bahamas | 2nd | 4 × 400 m relay | 3:22.49 |
| World Championships | Beijing, China | 5th | 400 m | 50.42 | |
| 1st | 4 × 400 m relay | 3:19.13 WL | |||
| 2016 | World Indoor Championships | Portland, United States | 4th | 400 m | 52.20 |
| DNF | 4 × 400 m relay | DNF | |||
| Olympic Games | Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | 6th | 400 m | 50.97 | |
| 2nd | 4 × 400 m relay | 3:20.34 | |||
| 2017 | World Relays | Nassau, Bahamas | 3rd | 4 × 400 m relay | 3:28.49 |
| World Championships | London, United Kingdom | 6th | 400 m | 50.86 | |
| DNF | 4 × 400 m relay | DNF | |||
| 2018 | World Indoor Championships | Birmingham, United Kingdom | DQ | 400 m | DQ |
| DQ | 4 × 400 m relay | DQ | |||
| Commonwealth Games | Gold Coast, Australia | 3rd | 400 m | 50.93 | |
| 1st | 4 × 400 m relay | 3:24.00 | |||
| World Cup | London, United Kingdom | 1st | 400 m | 50.98 | |
| 2nd | 4 × 400 m relay | 3:24.29 | |||
| NACAC Championships | Toronto, Canada | 1st | 400 m | 51.15 | |
| 2nd | 4 × 400 m relay | 3:27.25 | |||
| Continental Cup | Ostrava, Czech Republic | 3rd | 400 m | 50.82 | |
| 1st | 4 × 400 m mixed | 3:13.01 | |||
| 2019 | World Relays | Yokohama, Japan | 3rd | 4 × 200 m relay | 1:33.21 |
| Pan American Games | Lima, Peru | 3rd | 4 × 400 m relay | 3:27.61 | |
| World Championships | Doha, Qatar | 6th | 400 m | 50.89 | |
| 3rd | 4 × 400 m relay | 3:22.37 | |||
| 2021 | Olympic Games | Tokyo, Japan | 4th | 400 m | 49.61 |
| 2022 | World Indoor Championships | Belgrade, Serbia | 3rd | 400 m i | 50.79 |
| 1st | 4 × 400 m relay i | 3:28.40 SB | |||
| World Championships | Eugene, United States | 5th | 400 m | 50.36 | |
| 2nd | 4 × 400 m relay | 3:20.74 | |||
| NACAC Championships | Freeport, Bahamas | 3rd | 400 m | 50.36 | |
| 2024 | Olympic Games | Paris, France | 4th (h) | 4 × 400 m relay | 3:24.921 |
1Did not finish in the final
Circuit wins and titles
- Diamond League winner (400 m): 2016. (400 metres wins)
- 2015: Birmingham British Grand Prix
- 2016: Oslo Bislett Games
- 2018: London Anniversary Games
- 2019: Paris Meeting
- 2021: Gateshead British Grand Prix
- Continental Tour – gold level
- 2021 (400 m): Székesfehérvár Gyulai István Memorial
National titles
- Jamaican Athletics Championships
- 400 m (3): 2016, 2018, 2021
