Andrenette Knight is adamant her fall at last year’s Jamaica Athletics Administrative Association (JAAA) National Senior Championships was an anomaly she won’t allow to define her. Simply put, Knight knows she is a very good 400-metre hurdler and that every athlete has bad outings every now and again.

Knight’s positivity comes from the fact that she wears her faith on her bib, as well as the old adage that every experience in life serves a purpose. So with that as her guiding light, she is due to bounce back even stronger this year.

In fact, though the season is still yet to hit high gear, Knight’s personal best times of 23.99s and 37.37s in the 200m and 300m on the indoor circuit are significant statements that she is already on the bubble after the disappointment of missing out on making the World Championships team when (with fewer than 100m to go in the women’s 400m hurdles final) she clipped an obstacle and went down awkwardly.

“I am looking forward to being a better version of myself this season. The goal is always to improve and be better year after year — and this season is no different. I continue to put my faith and trust in God that everything goes according to His will and plan for me this season,” Knight told the Jamaica Observer from her base in the United States.

“I am still a work in progress so every day for me is preparation. I wouldn’t say there is anything I would do differently to be more successful this year; I will only continue to improve on what I have been doing and leave everything else in the hands of God,” she added.

Reflecting on last season when she enjoyed superb form, having not placed lower than fourth in her previous seven races and having had the second-fastest time of the year at one point, Knight knows winning the national 400m hurdles title and making the World Championships team was well on the cards — until it wasn’t.

Still, she holds dearly to the famous quote of Sir Bayle Roche that disappointment is the nurse of wisdom.

Prior to that, Knight achieved her lifetime best of 53.39 seconds behind world record holder Sydney McLaughlin who produced a breathtaking 51.61s-clocking — the third-fastest time in history at that point.

For Knight, the 53.39 which shattered her previous best of 54.39s propelled her from tenth to fifth on the all-time Jamaica performance list. Only Melaine Walker (52.42s), Kaliese Spencer (52.79s), Deon Hemmings (52.82s), and Janieve Russell with a best of 53.08s set in 2021, have gone faster.

The 26-year-old, who is a member of the Hurdle Mechanic Track Club based in Los Angeles, California, also achieved a new personal best of 51.64 in the flat 400m.

Knight believes the lesson from last year is for her to push even harder, and remain persistent, consistent and focused as one failure is only the first step to succeeding.

“Last year was a great year for me as I had the best season of my life. I had a lifetime best in the 400m and the 400mh so overall I think it was a great year, despite falling short at the national trials which cost me a spot on the team to the World Championships,” Knight said.

“So, it taught me to believe in myself a little bit more and keep the fire burning. Things will not always go as planned and last season did not go exactly as I had imagined, but one race or one bad result doesn’t define my whole career so I am still focused on being the best athlete that I can be and improving in every area of my craft,” she declared.

Despite her healthy start to the year Knight, who holds a masters degree in educational psychology, refuses to make rash predictions, or any predictions at all for that matter.

While most athletes are dreamers and will tell you they believe they can win, as much to convince themselves as anyone else, Knight is a hard-nosed realist. She readily admits that she is looking forward to this year’s trials with hopes of making the World Championships team to Hungary later this year, but that’s about it.

“I am looking forward to every opportunity to compete but the national trials is definitely one that I am looking forward to the most,” Knight noted.

“Everything will happen according to the Lord’s will so I will continue to work and be graceful. My goal is to tap into my fullest potential, produce personal bests, and be the very best athlete that I can be. In the process of doing so I hope that I can be an inspiration to other young athletes,” she ended.