Bianca Knight, a 2012 Olympic gold medalist, came to Greenwood Friday to help inspire the next generation of Mississippians.
Knight was the keynote speaker at the second annual “Future of the Delta” symposium sponsored by the Mississippi Delta Strategic Compact. The event was held at the Leflore County Civic Center.
Knight, 23, of Ridgeland now a student at the University of Texas, became a household name during the 2012 London Olympics when she was part of America’s women’s 4x100-meter women’s relay team, which won the gold and broke a 27-year-old world record.
Knight, who ran at both Pearl High School and Ridgeland High School, won 15 individual state high school titles in the 100, 200 and 400 meters.
She was the first Mississippian to be named a Gatorade National Girls Track and Field Athlete of the Year. She described that recognition as “one of my greatest accomplishments.”
Knight was also the 2005 World Youth champion in the 100-meter dash.
She said winning in track starts with a winning attitude.
“The moment when you get on the line, before they shoot the gun, it’s who is prepared to go out there to do what they need to do to come across the line first (who wins),” Knight said.
“Mentally, it’s a strain. It’s 10 months, I have to train for 10 months for an 11 second or 21-second race,” she said.
Knight said the U.S. Olympic Trials were more demanding than the Olympics themselves.
“The Americans are the best in the world. To have to compete against each other, that’s tough,” Knight said.
During the trials, Knight competed in the 100 and 200 and “came up short,” she said.
Still, she was selected to be on the U.S. team for the Olympics.
“I had a great season and I did do well enough to be considered for the team.
When she was selected for the 4x100 relay, Knight said, she didn’t know she would be on the team that reached the final.
“There’s something about carrying that flag. ... I’m glad I was chosen to be one of those ladies,” Knight said.
Growing up in a single-parent household, Knight said she knew early on what she wanted to do.
“I never wanted to do anything different than what I’m doing now. It’s a blessing of course that I was able to use something that I’ve known about since I was 12 years old,” she said.
Friday’s symposium focused a lot on inadequate nutrition and education in the Delta. Knight said proper nutrition is important.
“It’s not really about what you eat. It’s all about what you do in moderation. Anybody can eat a burger and fries and anything like that. It’s just when you overdo it,” Knight said.
“You do it two or three times a week. That turns out to be six or seven times a month. You can overdo anything.”
Knight said people are often scared of foods labeled fat-free, sugar-free, diet or organic.
“Those words don’t mean anything but natural,” she said.
“Dieting doesn’t mean you have to eat salad everyday. Dieting doesn’t mean that you don’t have to eat at all.
“I think words that should scare you to becoming healthy are words like stroke or heart disease or heart attack, something like that.”
Too often today, Knight said, parents set a bad example for their children.
“If you bring McDonald’s into the house for them to eat, that’s not going to motivate them. You’ve got to lead a healthy lifestyle. You have to lead by example,” she said.
There’s no better time than the present to start living healthy, Knight said.
“It’s important to start eating healthy now. I hear a lot of people wait until their New Year’s resolution or they say, ‘after Thanksgiving.’ You shouldn’t put off something to a later date that you definitely can start today,” she said.
Simple steps, such as walking or exercising at home are a good start, Knight said.
Knight said if parents lead by example it will make a difference.
“Mississippi has some of the greatest athletes, but they don’t know how to utilize their talent,” she said.
Knight, who competes professionally for Adidas, plans to continue her training for the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro in Brazil.
• Contact Bob Darden at 581-7239 or bdarden@gwcommonwealth.com.
