Andrea_Blackett
Andrea Blackett
Barbadian hurdler
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]