Knockback is not affected by sprint
if you hit someone while sprinting he will take the same knockback as if you hit him without sprinting. Behavior is the same regardless you hit a mob or a player.
Steps to reproduce.
1. Open any world
2. Hit a mob while sprinting
3. Hit a mob without sprinting
4. You will notice that knockback is the same in both situations
What is supposed to happen:
When you hit a mob while sprinting it's supposed to take more knockback than if you hit him while walking or standing still.