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]
Andrea'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]
