Andrea Melissa Blackett (born 24 January 1976, in London)[1][2] is a Barbadian athlete who specializes in the 400 metres hurdles. She is also a women's track assistant coach at her alma mater, Rice University.[3]
Her greatest achievement in athletics is the gold medal she won in the 400 metres hurdles at the 1998 Commonwealth Games in Kuala Lumpur[2][4] in a games record time.[5] Blackett was awarded the Barbados Service Star and the 1998 National Sports Personality of the Year award for Barbados for this achievement.[6][7]
Blackett represented Barbados in six IAAF World Championships (1997–2007).[3] She qualified for the final four times and in 1999 finished fourth.[3] She competed in the 2000 Sydney Olympics, qualifying for the semi-final of the 400m hurdles[3] and she competed in the 400m hurdles at the 2004 Athens Olympics.[3][8] Andrea even competed in Edmonton in 2001 and also in Paris in 2003 where she earned sixth place.[9] She has also represented her country at the World Indoor Athletics Championships.[10]
She also has five medals from the Central American and Caribbean Championships and three from the Central American and Caribbean Games.[2] Blackett has a personal best of 53.36 in the 400m hurdles,[3] in Seville[2] which is also a national record for Barbados.[3] She set the Barbados 100m hurdles record of 13.39 in 2003[3] in Liège.[2]
Career
editAndrea's 4x400 meter time in the Indoor National Track and Field events led the Rice Owls to their first ever national title win in 1997.[9] Her highest individual finish came in a second-place effort in the 400 metres hurdles in 1997.[3] Blackett graduated from Rice University in 1997 with a bachelor's degree in managerial studies and Spanish, and she also holds a master's degree from the University of Houston in hotel management.[3]
She also competed in the 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester but was unable to retain her title.[11] Blackett featured in the 2003 documentary Running for God which followed her efforts to win at the games alongside fellow hurdlers Deon Hemmings and Natasha Danvers, and how their Christian faith influenced their careers.[12]
Blackett was also selected in the Bajan team for the 2008 Olympics[13] but was ruled out due to injury[14] and retired from international competition.[3]
Blackett has now finished her days of running but it hasn't stopped her from coaching for the Rice University's Women's Track Team[9] as well as previously coaching for Barbados in the 2008 Beijing Olympic games.[15]
International competitions
edit
Personal bests
edit- 400 metres - 54.01 s (2006)
- 400 metres hurdles - 53.36 s (1999)
- 100 metres hurdles - 13.17 s (2000)[2]
References
edit- ^ Andrea Blackett. Sports Reference. Retrieved on 2014-09-28.
- ^ a b c d e f Andrea Blackett, IAAF, retrieved 7 February 2010
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Andrea Blackett profile, Rice Owls, archived from the original on 4 February 2010, retrieved 7 February 2010
- ^ "Athletics: Blackett to miss Games". The New Zealand Herald. 21 December 2005. Retrieved 16 September 2011.
- ^ Thomas wins 400 for Wales; Oakes makes it six medals in six Games Archived 5 March 2012 at the Wayback Machine CNN/Sports Illustrated, 18 September 1998
- ^ Andrea Blackett Archived 22 September 2005 at the Wayback Machine Harrison College, 1998
- ^ Awards of the Order of Barbados Archived 3 October 2011 at the Wayback Machine Barbados Integrated Government
- ^ Olympics 2004 - Women's 400m hurdles results BBC Sport, 3 August 2004
- ^ a b c "Image Viewer". scholarship.rice.edu. Retrieved 17 September 2018.
- ^ "Women's indoor results". BBC News. 9 February 2004. Retrieved 17 September 2018.
- ^ 2002 Commonwealth Games - Daily Results BBC Sport, 27 July 2002
- ^ Running for God (2003) BFI - Film & TV Database
- ^ Blackett: Bajans ready Archived 16 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine Gleaner, 2008
- ^ Rice coach tapped to head Barbados Olympic team Archived 7 June 2010 at the Wayback Machine Rice University, 17 July 2008
- ^ "Rice coach tapped to head Barbados Olympic team". news.rice.edu. Archived from the original on 4 July 2019. Retrieved 17 September 2018.
