KNIGHT...I can’t complain too much about the setbacks; life happens and everything doesn’t always go according to plan.
For Jamaica's Andrenette Knight, the path to the Paris Olympic Games has been a journey marked by both triumph and heartbreak.
Knight had always envisioned her first Olympic Games appearance contesting an individual event, particularly the 400m hurdles, a race in which she has consistently excelled. However, despite her determination and hard work throughout the season, the JAAA National Senior Championships did not go as planned.
This, as she placed fourth in the women’s 400m hurdles final in 54.37s, well short of her 53.26s personal best, and her attempt in the 400m also ended in a disappointing sixth-place finish in 51.65s. Still, the 400m run was merely targeted at securing a spot on the country’s 4x400m relay team, which she accomplished.
“My ultimate goal was to represent my country at the Olympics in my individual event,” Knight admitted.
“But, despite falling short of that target, I am still on a path where I can still call myself an Olympian, and that in itself is a big accomplishment for me, and I’m still very proud of myself,” she told Sportsmax.TV from the team’s base in France.
Knight finds solace in her selection for the 4x400m Mixed Relays team, an event that combines male and female athletes, as her performance at the National Championships was hampered by two significant challenges –the loss of her grandfather and an injury that took away from her preparation.
“Honestly, this season has been tough for me. I found myself having more lows than highs. I lost my grandfather a couple weeks before the trials, and I took it very hard. And then, in the days leading up to the trials, my foot was swollen, and I was in a lot of discomfort. I later found out it was a minor stress reaction,” she shared.
“But regardless of everything, I think I went into the trials with an objective to make the team and I did that so I guess that was the high. I can’t complain too much about the setbacks; life happens and everything doesn’t always go according to plan but I would say this season has taught me to be resilient,” Knight added.
Though she can manage to put on a brave face now, Knight pointed out that pushing through the pain and adversity was by no means easy, as she harboured thoughts of giving up on herself.
In fact, the 27-year-old revealed that it is the strength of her grandfather’s memory and support of other family and friends that have kept her going. But more than that, the United States-based athlete, who boast two NACAC Championships silver medals and made the World Championships final last year, believes she still has so much more to achieve in the sport.
“My journey getting here wasn’t easy. Being a track and field athlete at the professional level is not easy, and I think just navigating it all by myself away from my family and my support system makes it 10 times harder. I felt like quitting on myself in the moment before but I never thought about giving up because I believe that I have not scratched the surface on what I am truly capable of yet,” Knight declared.
Andrenette Knight (right) in action against compatriot Rushell Clayton and Dutchwoman Femke Bol.
“I enjoy what I do; I love to see myself making improvements, and I know that I have so much more in store, so I never really thought about it as difficult or easy. I just know this is what I have to do to get to where I want to. More importantly, I have a host of people who support me and also believe in me, so whenever things get difficult, I can always rely on them, just knowing that this too shall pass,” the Vere Technical and University of Virginia alumna noted.
It is the resilience that has brought her to this moment that Knight is hoping to draw on to possibly assist Jamaica into medal contention in the Mixed Relays when track and field takes centre stage at the July 26 to August 11 multi-sport showpiece.
“The Olympic Games only come around every four years, so I’m definitely living in the moment and continuing to work on my overall well-being. When competition day comes, I can only do what I’m prepared to do and control what I can control. My goal at the end of the day is to get to my fullest potential and accomplish all that God has in store for me,” the Puma athlete ended.
NB: The Olympic Games will be live on Sportsmax and the Sportsmax App.
Sherdon Cowan is a five-time award-winning journalist with 10 years' experience covering sports.
Young Reggae Boyz facing elimination after 0-3 defeat to Costa Rica; United States blank Cuba 4-0
Despite a slightly improved performance, Jamaica’s young Reggae Boyz suffered another defeat and is now all but out of contention at the Concacaf Men's Under-20 Championship, as Costa Rica and United States seem set to secure the top two Group A spots to the quarterfinals in Mexico.
In fact, United States, who registered a 4-0 win over Cuba, are already through to the knockout stages as they lead the group on six points, while Costa Rica’s 3-0 win over Jamaica propelled them into second place on four points. Cuba sits third on a point, while the young Reggae Boyz, are yet to get on the board.
The young Reggae Boyz, looked much better than they did in a 0-9 trouncing to United States, but their misery continued on Monday at the Miguel Aleman Valdez Stadium in Celaya.
This, as they lost Makai Bond Welch to a straight red card in the 71st minute, while goalkeeper Joshua Grant, who ended the match with five saves, was consistently called upon to keep them in the game.
Grant made consecutive stops in the 19th to deny Esteban Cruz and Jose Pablo Aguero on the rebound. He also came up big to deny Walter Ramirez in the 30th minute and Alberth Barahona in the 45+3.
Jamaica got their efforts from Makai Bond Welch, who was denied by Costa Rica’s goalkeeper Berny Rojas in the 45+5, while captain Adrian Reid Jr’s shot from a distance went just wide as the score remained goalless at the break.
However, Costa Rica eventually broke the deadlock from the penalty spot as Claudio Montero converted in the 50th.
Andy Rojas doubled Costa Rica’s lead in the 67th with a laser-sharp effort from just outside the 18-yard box, which gave Grant no chance at a save.
After Makai Bond Welch was given marching orders, the Central Americans capitalised on the numerical advantage, as Andy Rojas completed his brace and the victory in the 83rd, when he fired home from Ramirez’s cross.
In the feature contest, Ethan Kohler opened the scoring for United States in the 15th, before Zavier Gozo added another in the 26th.
Taha Habroune put the three-time champions further ahead in the 58th, with Marcos Zambrano capping the win in the 90+1.
Despite the loss, Cuba still stands a chance of progressing should things play out in their favour in the final fixtures on Thursday.
This, as Jamaica will have to blank the Spanish-speaking Caribbean team by a wide scoreline to stand a slim chance of possibly securing one of the two best third-place spots up for grabs.
Meanwhile, a wide margin of victory for Cuba over their Caribbean neighbours could see them secure one of those two third-place slots or even second position, provided United States hammer Costa Rica in the top-of-the-table clash.
'No thought' of leaving Durant out of Olympics, says Kerr
Team USA basketball coach Steve Kerr says there is "no thought" of replacing Kevin Durant in the Olympic squad despite him suffering with a calf strain.
The USA played their final warm-up game ahead of the Games, with LeBron James starring as they beat Germany 92-88 in London on Monday to make it five wins on the bounce.
However, Durant has not played in any of those five pre-Olympic games due to a right calf injury he sustained while training last month.
Despite stepping up his training in the last week, he is still a doubt for their opener against Serbia on Sunday.
Kerr has until Saturday to finalise his roster for the Games, and insisted he would not be calling up a replacement for Durant, who he hopes will get to train with the rest of the team when they travel to Paris.
"There's no thought of replacing Kevin," Kerr said. "I was hoping he would get a game in here, but it just didn't work out that way.
"When he missed time, he came right back - and he is who he is.
"He's one of the most skilled players of all time. So, we hope he comes back soon, and I think he'll fit right in."
The USA are aiming to win a fifth consecutive gold medal at this year's Olympics, and will also face South Sudan and Puerto Rico in Group C.
Murray confirms retirement after Olympics
Andy Murray has confirmed he will retire after the Olympic Games in Paris.
The 37-year-old is set to compete in both the men's singles and doubles at what will be his fifth Olympics.
Murray first competed in Beijing in 2008 and won his first gold medal four years later in London with a straight-sets victory over Roger Federer.
He then became the first male player to win two singles titles at the Games by beating Juan Martin del Potro in Rio in 2016.
In a post on X, Murray wrote: "Arrived in Paris for my last ever tennis tournament.
"Competing for Team GB has been by far the most memorable weeks of my career and I'm extremely proud to get to do it one final time!"
Murray made his final appearance at Wimbledon, where he is a two-time champion, before the Olympics, suffering a first-round defeat with brother Jamie in the doubles.
He later received an emotional tribute on Centre Court to mark his achievements at the tournament.
SportsMax is the Caribbean sports channel of choice, committed to providing sporting content of the highest quality to the Caribbean, delivered by a team of highly innovative, passionate and qualified professionals.
(876) 619-7629
digitalmedia@sportsmax.tv
