Bianca Knight (born January 2, 1989) is an American former track and field athlete who competed in the 100 and 200 meters.[citation needed] At the 2012 Summer Olympics she won a team event gold medal in the 4 × 100 metres relay team. In the final, the quartet of Tianna Madison, Allyson Felix, she and Carmelita Jeter broke a 27-year-old world record.

Career

Knight attended Ridgeland High School in Ridgeland, Mississippi, winning 15 individual state titles. the female Gatorade Athlete of the Year in track and field in 2006. She is the first Mississippi native to win a Gatorade Athlete of the Year award.

Knight attended the University of Texas. In her lone year for the Longhorns, Knight won the 2008 indoor NCAA 200 m championship in a collegiate-record time of 22.40. The record stood for 12 years, with Kentucky sprinter Abby Steiner breaking the record with a time of 22.38 in 2021.

Turning professional following her freshman indoor campaign, she finished 5th at the 2008 US Olympic Trials in the 200 m. She won second stage of IAAF Diamond League, in the 200 m, in Rome, Golden Gala.[citation needed]

Knight qualified for the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, joining Madison, Felix and Jeter on the USA 4 x 100 metres relay. The team's time of 40.82 won gold and broke the world record, previously set by East German in 1983.

Knight competed professionally for Adidas. She retired from track and field in 2016 to focus on her family.

Knight is the founder of the Bianca Knight Foundation, which focuses on providing resources to young track and field athletes.

Knight is currently an assistant track and field coach at Queens University of Charlotte. Joining the coaching staff in 2023, Knight serves as a sprints coach for the men's and women's teams.

Knight is an honorary member of Sigma Gamma Rho sorority.

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