The 27-year-old hurdler Andrenette Knight, claimed her second consecutive Diamond League victory in the women’s 400m hurdles, clocking a season-best 53.67 seconds at the Rome leg of the series on Friday.
Knight captured a clear win ahead of Italy’s Ayomide Folorunso (54.21) and fellow Jamaican Rushell Clayton (54.31).
“This season has been going well. I came so confident to Rome,” Knight said after the race.
“Each race that I have run, it just has been improvement on improvement. So I am happy to come out here with a season-best and to win. My first Diamond League win.”
The result follows a consistent string of performances from Knight, who finished a strong second behind Dutch superstar Femke Bol at the Rabat Diamond League earlier this season.
On that occasion, Knight clocked 53.90 seconds, while Bol stormed to victory in 52.46. Italy’s Folorunso, who seems to be developing into a regular Diamond League rival for Knight, placed third in 54.74 seconds.
Building Momentum Towards Paris
For Knight, the Rome victory wasn’t without its challenges. Despite the season-best time, she admitted to a few technical errors during the race.
“Honestly, it was not a smooth race, there were some technical errors,” she admitted.
“My stride pattern was kind of a little bit all over the place so I have to sit down and watch it, and decide what we need to do for the improvements.”
After narrowly missing a medal at the 2023 World Championships, Knight continues building momentum, aiming to peak perfectly this season.
“I know I am pretty strong, I have the speed, so it’s just a matter of tweaking a few things to bring the time down each time. I am taking it step by step and not putting any pressure on myself,” she said.
The Road Ahead
Knight is focusing on refining her race execution, tightening up her stride pattern, and capitalizing on the momentum she’s built across this Diamond League season.
Andrenette Knight will compete in upcoming Diamond League meets before the Jamaican National Trials, where fierce Olympic qualification battles await.
With Femke Bol maintaining her dominance on the European circuit and the USA’s Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone likely to return for the Games, the women’s 400m hurdles is shaping up to be one of the most anticipated events in Paris.
For now, Knight’s focus is clear, step by step, improvement by improvement.
“It’s about staying consistent, staying healthy and just sharpening up technically. Everything else will fall into place.”
As the Diamond League caravan moves on, fans and analysts alike will be watching closely to see how far Andrenette Knight can take this impressive run of form.
