Salmon: Knight will be back

Don’t think for a minute that there was any rejoicing when Andrenette Knight fell in the 400 metres hurdles at the recent National Championships in Kingston. In fact, one of the other finalists hopes Knight will bounce back to top form.

Knight came to the Nationals as the fastest Jamaican in the 400m hurdles, at 53.39 seconds, and took command early on in the final. Disaster struck as her lead leg clattered hurdle eight and sent her tumbling. Shiann Salmon, who finished second with a personal best of 53.82, had her own troubles at the 2021 Nationals and perhaps mindful of that, said recently: “It’s extremely awful. She improved rapidly this year, and it was a really good feeling to be able to race with her all season. It’s very unfortunate what happened to her, and I told her that things fall apart so that better things can fall into place.”

The race winner was 2016 and 2021 Olympic finalist Janieve Russell, with Salmon second and 2019 World bronze medallist Rushell Clayton third. Russell, who is also the reigning Commonwealth Games champion, clocked 53.61 seconds to outlast Salmon and Clayton, who ran 54.20 from lane eight.

Salmon, once the Hydel High School’s Boys and Girls’ Athletics Championships captain, had her own heartache at the 2021 Nationals. She reached the finish 0.02 seconds outside a spot on the Jamaican team to the Tokyo Olympics. On April 16 in Walnut, California, she was third in the race when Knight moved into the fast lane with a personal best of 54.39 seconds, logging a mark of 54.64 herself. They met again on a windy day at the Duval County Challenge, with Salmon winning in 56.06 to Knight’s 56.44 seconds.

Educated by her own troubles, Salmon was sympathetic.

“Hopefully, she bounces back as good as she was doing all along, and I just have her in my prayers as well,” Salmon, the 2018 World Under-20 Championship runner-up, said.

A week after the National Championships, the 25 year-old Knight showed that she was on the road to recovery after her big loss. She clocked 53.85 to win at the Stars and Stripes Classic in Marietta, Georgia. The result continued her string of fine performances this year. She started 2022 with a lifetime best of 55.75 seconds and by dint of hard work and training with American star Dalilah Muhammad, Knight has improved by leaps and bounds.