Loop Sports - Updated Stephenie-Ann McPherson, of Jamaica, competes in a heat of the women's 400-meters at the 2020 Summer Olympics, Tuesday, Aug. 3, 2021, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek) National champion Stephenie-Ann McPherson, Roneisha McGregor, and Candice McLeod are safely through to the semi-finals of the women’s 400 metres at the Tokyo Olympics. McPherson, who ran a personal best of 49.61 in winning the Jamaican trials in Kingston on June 27, was the quickest of the Jamaicans in the first round on Monday. She won her heat effortlessly in 50.09 seconds, the fifth-fastest going into the semi-finals. McGregor ran very hard to secure one of the three automatic qualifying spots from her heat into the semi-finals. She got the better of Czech athlete Lada Vondrova and Great Britain’s Ama Pipi in a bang-up finish for the minor places.