Jessie Knight (athlete)
{{Short description|British hurdler (born 1994)}}
{{For|the English tattoo artist, 1904–1992|Jessie Knight (tattoo artist)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{Use British English|date=July 2024}}
{{Infobox sportsperson
| name = Jessie Knight
| image = 2022-08-18 European Championships 2022 – Women's 400 Metres Hurdles by Sandro Halank–037.jpg
| imagesize =
| caption = Jessie Knight in 2022
| fullname =
| nickname =
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1994|6|15|df=yes}}
| birth_place = Epsom, Surrey, England
| death_date =
| death_place =
| country = {{flagcountry|Great Britain}}
| height =
| weight =
| sport = Athletics
| event = 400 metres hurdles
| club = Windsor, Slough, Eton and Hounslow Athletic Club{{cite web|url=https://www.thepowerof10.info/athletes/profile.aspx?athleteid=22920|title=Profile|website=Power of 10}}
| coach = Marina Armstrong
| medaltemplates = {{MedalSport|Women's athletics}}
{{MedalCountry |{{GBR2}} }}
{{Medal|Competition|World Championships}}
{{Medal|Bronze|2022 Eugene|4×400 m relay}} {{Medal|Competition|World Indoor Championships}}
{{Medal|Bronze|2024 Glasgow|4×400 m relay}}
{{MedalCompetition|European Indoor Championships}}
{{MedalSilver|2021 Toruń|4×400 m relay}}
}}
Jessie Knight (born 15 June 1994) is a British former athlete who specialised in the 400 metres hurdles.{{cite web|url=https://www.worldathletics.org/athletes/great-britain-ni/jessie-knight-14430428|title=Athlete profile|website=World Athletics}}{{cite web|url=https://www.european-athletics.org/athletes/group=k/athlete=136539-knight-jessie/index.html|title=Athletes|website=European Athletics}}
Career
Knight became the British champion of the 400 metres hurdles event after winning at the 2020 British Athletics Championships with a time of 55.80 seconds.{{cite web|url=https://www.uka.org.uk/results/20200904_Manchester/timetable/index/|title=Results list|website=British Athletics}}
In May 2021, she improved on her record at the year's Golden Spike Ostrava with a personal best of 54.74 seconds.{{Cite news|date=July 21, 2021|title=Jessie Knight: Team GB's 400m hurdler ready for Tokyo 2020 bow despite self-isolation|work=Sky Sports|url=https://www.skysports.com/olympics/news/15234/12360526/jessie-knight-team-gbs-400m-hurdler-ready-for-tokyo-2020-bow-despite-self-isolation|access-date=August 3, 2021}} She was later named to the British track and field team ahead of the 2020 Summer Olympics for the 400 metres hurdles event alongside Meghan Beesley and Jessica Turner.{{Cite web|last=McGuire|first=Jane|date=June 29, 2021|title=The British Olympic team for Tokyo has been announced|url=https://www.runnersworld.com/uk/news/a36874380/team-gb-tokyo/|access-date=August 3, 2021|website=Runner's World}} Upon arriving in Tokyo, Knight was one of six British athletes forced to self-isolate after a passenger on her flight had tested positive for COVID-19. At the Olympics, Knight stumbled in her heat race for the 400 metres hurdles event as she approached the track's first bend and crashed into the first hurdle, ending her hopes to medal in the event. Knight hoped to, but did not, race in the women's 4 x 400 metres relay.{{Cite news|last=Ehantharajah|first=Vithushan|date=31 July 2021|title=Tokyo Olympics: Britain's Jessie Knight endures cruelty of sport with fall at the first hurdle|work=The Independent|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/olympics/jessie-knight-fall-hurdles-tokyo-b1894250.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220608/https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/olympics/jessie-knight-fall-hurdles-tokyo-b1894250.html |archive-date=8 June 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|access-date=4 August 2021}}
Knight competed in the women's 4 x 400 metres relay for England in the 2022 Commonwealth Games, where despite managing to hold off Canada's Kyra Constantine to finish first in the final by 0.01s, England did not medal due to a lane violation earlier in the race.
After winning the 400 metres hurdles silver medal at the 2024 British Athletics Championships, Knight was subsequently named in the Great Britain team for the 2024 Summer Olympics.{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/athletics/articles/cd1646n46zpo |title=Kerr & Johnson-Thompson head GB Olympics athletics squad |website=BBC Sport |access-date=6 July 2024}} She went out in the semi-finals at the Games in Paris.{{cite web|url=https://www.barryanddistrictnews.co.uk/news/24502613.knight-says-blame-missing-400m-hurdles-final/|title=Knight says she is to blame after missing out on 400m hurdles final|publisher=Barry and District News|accessdate=9 August 2024}}
Knight announced her retirement from professional athletics in November 2024.{{cite web|url=https://athleticsweekly.com/athletics-news/jessie-knight-announces-her-retirement-1039994872/|title=Jessie Knight announces her retirement|publisher=Athletics Weekly|accessdate=17 February 2025}}
Personal life
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- {{World Athletics}}
- {{British Athletics}}
- {{Team GB}}
- {{Olympedia}}
- {{Team England|jessie-knight}}
- {{2022 Commonwealth Games profile|62463}}
- {{Instagram}}
{{British Athletics Championships women's 400 metres hurdles champions}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Knight, Jessie}}
Category:English female hurdlers
Category:British female hurdlers
Category:World Athletics Championships medalists
Category:British Athletics Championships winners
Category:Olympic athletes for Great Britain
Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 2020 Summer Olympics
Category:Commonwealth Games competitors for England
Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 2022 Commonwealth Games
Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 2024 Summer Olympics