Alia Shanee Atkinson, OD (born 11 December 1988) is a Jamaican five-time

Olympian Olympian or Olympians may refer to: Religion * Twelve Olympians, the principal gods and goddesses in ancient Greek religion * Olympian spirits, spirits mentioned in books of ceremonial magic Fiction * ''Percy Jackson & the Olympians'', fiction ...

and a former competitive

swimmer Swimming is an individual or team racing sport that requires the use of one's entire body to move through water. The sport takes place in pools or open water (e.g., in a sea or lake). Competitive swimming is one of the most popular Olympic ...

whose international competition career spanned 19 years, 2003 to 2021 inclusive, at the senior level. At

short course In swimming, the term short course (abbreviated SC) is used to identify a pool that is in length. The term is also often included in meet names when conducted in a short course pool. "Short course" is the second type of pool configuration curren ...

World Swimming Championships The FINA World Championships or World Aquatics Championships are the World Championships for aquatics sports: swimming, diving, high diving, open water swimming, artistic swimming, and water polo. They are run by World Aquatics, and all ...

, she is a ten-time medalist in individual events, including four gold medals, four silver medals, and two bronze medals. She won a total of 124 medals, of which 74 were gold medals, at

Swimming World Cup The FINA Swimming World Cup is an international series of short course () swimming meets organized by FINA, the International Federation for swimming. Launched in 1988, the FINA Swimming World Cup gathers world-class swimmers in a series of two-da ...

circuits over the course of her career. She won 14 total medals in individual events, 11 gold, 1 silver, and 2 bronze, from her first three

Central American and Caribbean Games The Central American and Caribbean Games (CAC or CACGs) are a multi-sport regional championship event, held quadrennial (once every four years), typically in the middle (even) year between Summer Olympics. The games are for countries in Cent ...

, in 2006,

2010 File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...

, and

2018 File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the United ...

. In 2014, Atkinson became the first

Afro-Jamaican Afro-Jamaicans are Jamaicans of predominant Sub-Saharan African descent. They represent the largest ethnic group in the country. Most Jamaicans of mixed-race descent self-report as just Jamaican. The ethnogenesis of the Black Jamaican people ste ...

to win a world title in swimming, winning the short course 100-metre breaststroke at the 2014 World Swimming Championships with a

world record A world record is usually the best global and most important performance that is ever recorded and officially verified in a specific skill, sport, or other kind of activity. The book '' Guinness World Records'' and other world records organizati ...

time of 1:02.36. In 2016, she tied her world record in the short course 100 metre breaststroke on 26 August before setting a new world record in the short course 50-metre breaststroke on 26 October. Two years later, on 6 October 2018, she set her second new world record in the short course 50-metre breaststroke, marking her fourth world record time in an individual event. At the 2012 Summer Olympics, she became the second Jamaican swimmer to place in the top four at an Olympic Games, finishing fourth in the 100-metre breaststroke.

Background

Atkinson calls

Roehampton Roehampton is an area in southwest London, in the Putney SW15 postal district, and takes up a far western strip running north to south of the London Borough of Wandsworth. It contains a number of large council house estates and is home to the U ...

Jamaica Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of Hispan ...

her hometown. At three years of age, she started swimming. In 2000, when she was approximately 12 years old, her family permanently relocated to the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., federal district, five ma ...

, moving to

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, a ...

. When she was 13 years old, she to focused her swimming on

breaststroke Breaststroke is a swimming style in which the swimmer is on their chest and the torso does not rotate. It is the most popular recreational style due to the swimmer's head being out of the water a large portion of the time, and that it can b ...

specialization. Before then she mostly swam freestyle and

butterfly Butterflies are insects in the macrolepidopteran clade Rhopalocera from the order Lepidoptera, which also includes moths. Adult butterflies have large, often brightly coloured wings, and conspicuous, fluttering flight. The group comprises ...

. She was coached by Chris Anderson from 2001 through to her retirement in 2021. She mostly trained with the

South Florida Aquatic Club South Florida Aquatic Club is a swim club based in Pembroke Pines, Florida, United States. Founded in 2010, it offers training for beginner and elite swimmers. The aquatics club is best known for developing a number of Olympic swimmers. Notable ...

swim team in

Pembroke Pines, Florida Pembroke Pines is a city in southern Broward County, Florida, United States. The city is located 22 miles (35 km) north of Miami. The population of Pembroke Pines is 171,178 as of the 2020 census. It is a suburb of and the fourth-most populous c ...

in an

Olympic-size swimming pool An Olympic-size swimming pool conforms to regulated dimensions that are large enough for international competition. This type of swimming pool is used in the Olympic Games, where the race course is in length, typically referred to as "long cour ...

. In college, she majored in

Psychology Psychology is the scientific study of mind and behavior. Psychology includes the study of conscious and unconscious phenomena, including feelings and thoughts. It is an academic discipline of immense scope, crossing the boundaries betwe ...

, earning her

Bachelor of Science A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University o ...

degree from

Texas A&M University Texas A&M University (Texas A&M, A&M, or TAMU) is a public, land-grant, research university in College Station, Texas. It was founded in 1876 and became the flagship institution of the Texas A&M University System in 1948. As of late 2021, T ...

in 2010, where she also competed as part of the

Texas A&M Aggies Texas A&M Aggies refers to the students, graduates, and sports teams of Texas A&M University. The nickname " Aggie" was once common at land-grant or "ag" (agriculture) schools in many states. The teams are also referred to as "A&M" or "Texas Agg ...

swim team.Avanzato, Marissa (22 July 2019)
"Alia Atkinson Selected to Texas A&M Athletics Hall of Fame"
''

''. Retrieved 16 July 2021. In international swimming competitions, she represented Jamaica. Atkinson stated her swimming mission in her ''

SwimSwam ''SwimSwam'' news is a swimming news organization covering competitive swimming along with diving, water polo and synchronized swimming. SwimSwam launched as a website in March 2012 and quickly became the most-read swimming website in the world. ...

'' bio as, "To place Jamaica on the world map of swimming; to agitate for the improvement of the infrastructural support for swimming in Jamaica so as to be able to take it to the next level; and to realize my full potential for myself, my parents, and my country.""Alia Atkinson - Bio"
''

''. Retrieved 16 July 2021. She has also been vocal about not being related to

Janelle Atkinson Janelle Anya Monique Atkinson-McClave (born 30 September 1982), née Janelle Anya Monique Atkinson, is a Jamaican former competitive swimmer who won three silver medals at the 1999 Pan American Games. At the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, she ...

, who was the first Jamaican swimmer to finish in the top four at an

Olympic Games The modern Olympic Games or Olympics (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques) are the leading international sporting events featuring summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a multi ...

.Berg, Aimee (20 November 2018)
"Alia Atkinson: Jamaica's Tour de Force"
''

FINA FINA (french: Fédération internationale de natation, en, International Swimming Federation, link=yes) (to be renamed as World Aquatics by ) is the international federation recognised by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) for administer ...

''. Retrieved 16 July 2021.

Career

2004–2011

Atkinson was 15 years old and a high school junior at the time of her Olympic debut at the 2004 Summer Olympics in

Athens Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Greece, largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh List ...

Greece Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders wit ...

. She competed in the 50-metre freestyle, ranking 44th overall, and the 100-metre breaststroke, ranking 32nd overall."Athletes: Alia Atkinson"
''

International Olympic Committee The International Olympic Committee (IOC; french: link=no, Comité international olympique, ''CIO'') is a non-governmental sports organisation based in Lausanne, Switzerland. It is constituted in the form of an association under the Swis ...

''. Retrieved 16 July 2021. In March 2006, Atkinson competed at her first

Commonwealth Games The Commonwealth Games, often referred to as the Friendly Games or simply the Comm Games, are a quadrennial international multi-sport event among athletes from the Commonwealth of Nations. The event was first held in 1930 British Empire Game ...

, the

2006 Commonwealth Games The 2006 Commonwealth Games, officially the XVIII Commonwealth Games and commonly known as Melbourne 2006 ( Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm 2006'' or ''Naarm 2006''), was an international multi-sport event for members of the Commonwealth held ...

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/ Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a me ...

, Australia.Keith, Braden (3 April 2018)
"Alia Atkinson Named to Carry Jamaican Flag at Commonwealth Games"
''

''. Retrieved 16 July 2021. She carried the flag for her

at the opening ceremony of the

2007 Pan American Games The 2007 Pan American Games, officially known as the XV Pan American Games, were a major Americas, continental multi-sport event that took place in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from July 13 to 29, 2007. A total of 5,633 athletes from 42 National Ol ...

Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro ( , , ; literally 'River of January'), or simply Rio, is the capital of the Rio de Janeiro (state), state of the same name, Brazil's List of Brazilian states by population, third-most populous state, and the List of largest citi ...

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

, where she set the Jamaican record in the 100-metre butterfly with a time of 1:02.40.

(18 July 2007)
"A&M Freshman Qualifies for Second Final at Pan American Games"
''

''. Retrieved 16 July 2021. In the

2008 Olympics The 2008 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXIX Olympiad () and also known as Beijing 2008 (), were an international multisport event held from 8 to 24 August 2008, in Beijing, China. A total of 10,942 athletes from 204 Nati ...

Beijing } Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...

, China she finished 25th in the women's 200-metre breaststroke. She also competed in the

2010 Commonwealth Games The 2010 Commonwealth Games (Hindi: 2010 राष्ट्रमण्डल खेल), officially known as the XIX Commonwealth Games and commonly known as Delhi 2010, was an international multi-sport event that was held in Delhi, India, f ...

Delhi Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, primarily its western or right bank, Delhi shares borders wi ...

India India, officially the Republic of India ( Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the ...

in October."Jamaican Alia Atkinson advance to finals"
''

Jamaica Gleaner ''The Gleaner'' is an English-language, morning daily newspaper founded by two brothers, Jacob and Joshua de Cordova on 13 September 1834 in Kingston, Jamaica. Originally called the ''Daily Gleaner'', the name was changed on 7 December 1992 to '' ...

''. 4 October 2010. Retrieved 16 July 2021. She placed first in the 200-yard breaststroke at the 2010

NCAA Championships The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges and ...

, swimming for

Texas A&M Texas A&M University (Texas A&M, A&M, or TAMU) is a public university, public, Land-grant university, land-grant, research university in College Station, Texas. It was founded in 1876 and became the flagship institution of the Texas A&M Unive ...

. Her swim made her the second NCAA champion in swimming for Texas A&M after Julia Wilkinson. At the

2011 Pan American Games The 2011 Pan American Games, officially the XVI Pan American Games, was an international multi-sport event that was held from October 14–30, 2011, in Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico. Some events were held in the nearby cities of Ciudad Guzmán, ...

in Guadalajara,

Mexico Mexico ( Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guate ...

, Atkinson won the silver medal in the 200-metre individual medley.

2012

2012 Summer Olympics

At the 2012 Summer Olympics in

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...

, Atkinson competed in three individual events. She qualified for the 2012 Olympics 100 m women's breaststroke final after defeating Canadian rival Tera van Beilen with a time of 1:06.79 in a head-to-head swim-off for a spot in the final. She subsequently placed 4th in the final of the 2012 Olympics 100 m women's breaststroke finishing with a time of 1:06.93. This made Atkinson the second Jamaican swimmer to place in the top four of a swimming event at an

behind

who achieved the feat at the

2000 Summer Olympics The 2000 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXVII Olympiad and also known as Sydney 2000 ( Dharug: ''Gadigal 2000''), the Millennium Olympic Games or the Games of the New Millennium, was an international multi-sport event held from ...

in the 400-metre freestyle. In the 200-metre breaststroke, Atkinson ranked 27th in the prelims. She also competed in the 50-metre freestyle where she placed 37th overall.

2012 World Swimming Championships

Following the 2012 Olympics, Atkinson competed in the 2012 World Swimming Championships conducted in short course metres and held in

Istanbul Istanbul ( , ; tr, İstanbul ), formerly known as Constantinople ( grc-gre, Κωνσταντινούπολις; la, Constantinopolis), is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, serving as the country's economic, ...

Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a list of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolia, Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with ...

in December 2012. She won the silver medal in the 50-metre breaststroke with a time of 29.67 in the final.

(13 December 2012)
"11th FINA World Swimming Championships (25m): Women's 50m Breaststroke Final Results"
''

Omega Timing Omega SA is a Swiss luxury watchmaker based in Biel/Bienne, Switzerland. Founded by Louis Brandt in La Chaux-de-Fonds in 1848, the company formerly operated as ''La Generale Watch Co.'' until incorporating the name ''Omega'' in 1903, becoming ' ...

''. Retrieved 16 July 2021. In the final of the 100-metre breaststroke, she swam a 1:03.80 and won the silver medal.

(15 December 2012)
"11th FINA World Swimming Championships (25m): Women's 100m Breaststroke Final Results"
''

''. Retrieved 16 July 2021.

2014

2014 Commonwealth Games

She won two medals at the

2014 Commonwealth Games The 2014 Commonwealth Games ( gd, Geamannan a' Cho-fhlaitheis 2014), officially known as the XX Commonwealth Games and commonly known as Glasgow 2014, ( sco, Glesca 2014 or Glesga 2014; gd, Glaschu 2014), was an international multi-sport ev ...

in the summer of 2014, silver in the 50 m breaststroke and bronze in the 100 m breaststroke. She also set two Commonwealth Games records in the heats and semifinal of the 50 m breaststroke. Her swim of 2:25.48 in the long course 200-metre breaststroke set a new national record for Jamaica in the event.Marsteller, Jason (26 July 2014)
"Commonwealth Games: Fran Halsall Sets Textile Best in 50 Free; Tops 50 Fly Semis"
''

Swimming World ''Swimming World'' is a US-based monthly swimming magazine that was first published in a magazine format as ''Junior Swimmer'' in January 1960. It concurrently runs online websites ''Swimming World Magazine'' and ''Swimming World News'', (known ...

''. Retrieved 16 July 2021."Alia Atkinson delivers Golden Independence gift for Jamaica"
''Caribbean National Weekly''. 9 August 2017. Retrieved 16 July 2021.

2014 Swimming World Cup

At the 2014 FINA Swimming World Cup stop in

Singapore Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, borde ...

in November 2014, Atkinson won the short course 200-metre breaststroke, setting a new national record with her time of 2:17.84.

(2 November 2014)
"FINA/MASTBANK Swimming World Cup Singapore 01-02 November 2014: Women's 200m Breaststroke Final Results"
''

''. Retrieved 16 July 2021.

2014 World Swimming Championships

Atkinson won the 100-metre breaststroke at the 2014 Short Course World Championships in

Doha Doha ( ar, الدوحة, ad-Dawḥa or ''ad-Dōḥa'') is the capital city and main financial hub of Qatar. Located on the Persian Gulf coast in the east of the country, north of Al Wakrah and south of Al Khor, it is home to most of the c ...

Qatar Qatar (, ; ar, قطر, Qaṭar ; local vernacular pronunciation: ), officially the State of Qatar,) is a country in Western Asia. It occupies the Qatar Peninsula on the northeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in the Middle East; it ...

in December (equaling the record of 1:02.36 set by

Rūta Meilutytė Rūta Meilutytė (; born 19 March 1997) is a Lithuanian swimmer. An Olympic gold medalist, she is a world record holder in the short course 50 metre breaststroke and 100 metre breaststroke. She is a former world record holder in the long cour ...

in 2013), becoming the first

woman to win a world swimming title.

(7 December 2014)
"12th FINA World Swimming Championships (25m): Complete Results Book"
''

''. Retrieved 16 July 2021. Her swim was the second time a woman hit the 1:02.36 mark internationally after Meilutytė. Because Atkinson was the second woman to reach the world record time she was not awarded the $10,000 associated with setting a world record because she did not set a new world record, instead tying the pre-existing one Meilutytė set in 2013.Keith, Braden (26 August 2016)
"Alia Atkinson Ties World Record in 100 Breaststroke in Chartres"
''

''. Retrieved 15 July 2021. In the 50-metre breaststroke she won the silver medal with a time of 28.91.

2015

2015 World Aquatics Championships

In August 2015 at the

2015 World Aquatics Championships The 16th FINA World Championships (russian: Чемпионат мира по водным видам спорта 2015), also Aquatics 2015, were held in Kazan, Russia from 24 July to 9 August 2015. Russia hosted this event for the first time. T ...

Kazan Kazan ( ; rus, Казань, p=kɐˈzanʲ; tt-Cyrl, Казан, ''Qazan'', IPA: ɑzan is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Tatarstan in Russia. The city lies at the confluence of the Volga and the Kazanka rivers, covering ...

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eigh ...

, Atkinson medaled in two individual events. She won the silver medal in the 50-metre breaststroke with a time of 30.11 in the final.

(9 August 2015)
"16th FINA World Championships Kazan (RUS): Women's 50m Breaststroke Final Results"
''

''. Retrieved 16 July 2021. Her swim set a new national record for Jamaica in the 50-metre breaststroke.Byrnes, Liz (15 October 2020)
"Alia Atkinson On Being The First Black Woman To Win A World Title, Manuel's Ascent And The ISL"
''

''. Retrieved 16 July 2021. In the 100-metre breaststroke, she swam a 1:06.42 in the final and won the bronze medal.

(4 August 2015)
"16th FINA World Championships Kazan (RUS): Women's 100m Breaststroke Final Results"
''

''. Retrieved 16 July 2021.

2015 Swimming World Cup

At the

2015 FINA Swimming World Cup The 2015 FINA Swimming World Cup was a series of eight, two-day, long course swimming meets in eight different cities between August and November 2015. Airweave was the title sponsor for the series, with Omega serving as official timer. This was th ...

stop in

Dubai Dubai (, ; ar, دبي, translit=Dubayy, , ) is the most populous city in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the capital of the Emirate of Dubai, the most populated of the 7 emirates of the United Arab Emirates.The Government and Politics ...

United Arab Emirates The United Arab Emirates (UAE; ar, اَلْإِمَارَات الْعَرَبِيَة الْمُتَحِدَة ), or simply the Emirates ( ar, الِْإمَارَات ), is a country in Western Asia ( The Middle East). It is located at ...

in November 2015, Atkinson swam a personal best time of 1:05.93 in the long course 100-metre breaststroke and set a new national record in the event. Her swim tied her for the 16th fastest swimmer in the event globally with Rikke Pedersen who was the world record holder in the long course 200-metre breaststroke at the time.Race, Retta (6 November 2015)
"Alia Atkinson Goes Sub 1:06 For New Jamaican National Record"
''

''. Retrieved 16 July 2021.

2016

2016 Summer Olympics

At the 2016 Summer Olympics in

, she placed eighth in the final of the 100-metre breaststroke, swimming a 1:08.10.

2016 Swimming World Cup

At the 2016 FINA Swimming World Cup stop in Chartres,

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan ar ...

in August 2016, Atkinson again tied the world record in the short course 100-metre breaststroke with a time of 1:02.36.

(26 August 2016)
"FINA/airweave Swimming World Cup 2016 Paris-Chartres: Women's 100m Breaststroke Final Results"
''

''. Retrieved 16 July 2021. She did not win the $10,000 prize money for a world record as it was not a new world record. In October 2016, at the Swimming World Cup stop in

Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and List of cities in Japan, largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, ...

, Japan, Atkinson swam a 28.64 in the short course 50-metre breaststroke setting a new

in the event.

(26 October 2016)
"FINA/airweave Swimming World Cup 2016 Tokyo: Women's 50m Breaststroke Results"
''

''. Retrieved 16 July 2021.

2016 World Swimming Championships

In December 2016 at the 2016 World Swimming Championships in Windsor,

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tota ...

and conducted in short course metres, Atkinson medaled in three individual events. She won the gold medal in the 100-metre breastsroke ahead of Lilly King. In the 50-metre breaststroke, she swam a 29.11 in the final and won the silver medal in the event. For the 100-metre individual medley she won the bronze medal, swimming a 58.04 in the final.

(11 December 2016)
"13th FINA World Swimming Championships (25m): Complete Results Book"
''

''. Retrieved 16 July 2021.

2018

2018 Swimming World Cup

Atkinson competed for Jamaica at the 2018 FINA Swimming World Cup in

Budapest Budapest (, ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Hungary. It is the ninth-largest city in the European Union by population within city limits and the second-largest city on the Danube river; the city has an estimated population ...

Hungary Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croa ...

. In the 50-metre breaststroke she swam a 28.56, breaking her own world record in the event she set in 2016.Sutherland, James (6 October 2018)
"Alia Atkinson Lowers Own SCM World Record In Women's 50 Breast"
''

''. Retrieved 16 July 2021.

(6 October 2018)
"FINA Swimming World Cup 2018 Budapest: Results Book"
''

''. Retrieved 16 July 2021.

2018 World Swimming Championships

After the Swimming World Cup, Atkinson went on to win two gold and one bronze medal in individual events at the 2018 Swimming World Championships in

Hangzhou Hangzhou ( or , ; , , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ), also romanized as Hangchow, is the capital and most populous city of Zhejiang, China. It is located in the northwestern part of the province, sitting at the head of Hangzhou Bay, wh ...

, China in December. The first medal she won in the competition was a gold medal in the 50-metre breaststroke, swimming a 29.05 and finishing ahead of second-place finisher

. Her next medal was a bronze medal in the 100-metre individual medley, finishing third with a time of 58.11 in the final, less than one second behind

Katinka Hosszú Katinka Hosszú (; born 3 May 1989) is a Hungarian competitive swimmer specialized in individual medley events. She is a three-time Olympic champion and a nine-time long-course world champion. She is owner of a Budapest based swim school and swi ...

and Runa Imai. Atkinson's third and final medal of the competition was a gold medal in the 100-metre breaststroke where she finished before American swimmer

Katie Meili Catherine Michelle "Katie" Meili (born April 16, 1991) is a former American competitive swimmer, who won a bronze medal at the 2016 Summer Olympics in the 100 meter breaststroke and a gold medal for swimming the preliminary heats of the 4 × 10 ...

with a time of 1:03.51 in the final.

(16 December 2018)
"14th FINA World Swimming Championships (25m): Complete Results Book"
''

''. Retrieved 16 July 2021.

2019

2019 World Aquatics Championships

At the

2019 World Aquatics Championships The 2019 World Aquatics Championships were the 18th FINA World Aquatics Championships, held in Gwangju, South Korea from 12 to 28 July 2019. The city had previously hosted the 2015 Summer Universiade aquatics events in the same venues.

Gwangju Gwangju () is South Korea's sixth-largest metropolis. It is a designated metropolitan city under the direct control of the central government's Home Minister. The city was also the capital of South Jeolla Province until the provincial offic ...

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...

in July 2019, Atkinson finished in fourth place with a time of 30.34 in the final of the 50-metre breaststroke.OlympicTalk (21 July 2019)
"2019 World Swimming Championships results"
''

NBC Sports NBC Sports is an American programming division of the broadcast network NBC, owned and operated by NBC Sports Group division of NBCUniversal and subsidiary of Comcast. The division is responsible for sports broadcasts on the network, and it ...

''. Retrieved 15 July 2021.

(29 July 2019)
"18th FINA World Championships Gwangju (KOR): Women's 50m Breaststroke Final Heat 1 Results"
''

''. Retrieved 16 July 2021.

International Swimming League

In 2019 Atkinson was a member of the

2019 International Swimming League The 2019 International Swimming League was the inaugural edition of the International Swimming League, a professional swimming league, established in 2019. It comprised eight teams composed of both women and men. The league consisted of seven sho ...

representing Team Iron. She was a valuable member of the team winning the 50m breaststroke in all 3 matches the team competed in, and she also picked up two wins and one second-place finish in the 100m breaststroke.Wheeler, Daniel (15 September 2020)
"Atkinson set to Roar in ISL"
''

''. Retrieved 16 July 2021.

2021–2022

2020 Summer Olympics

On 14 July 2021,

released its entry list for the 2020 Summer Olympics in

, Japan including that Atkinson was entered to compete in the 100-metre breaststroke."Tokyo 2020 Swimming Entry List (as of 14 July 2021)"
''

''. 14 July 2021. Retrieved 15 July 2021. Prior to the start of competition of Jamaican athletes at the 2020 Olympics, the

Jamaica Olympic Association Jamaica Olympic Association (IOC code: JAM) is the National Olympic Committee representing Jamaica. It is also the body responsible for Jamaica's representation at the Olympic Games. History The Jamaica Olympic Association was founded in 1936 an ...

saluted its athletes including Atkinson.Burnett, Ian (25 July 2021)
"JOA salutes Olympians ahead of start of competition"
''

Jamaica Observer ''Jamaica Observer'' is a daily newspaper A newspaper is a periodical publication containing written information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background. Newspapers can cover a wide variety ...

''. Retrieved 25 July 2021. In the preliminaries of the 100-metre breaststroke on Sunday 25 July, Atkinson swam a 1:07.70, finishing third in her heat, and did not advance to the semifinals.Bryan, Javid (25 July 2021)
"Atkinson finishes third in 100m Breaststroke, fails to progress to semifinals"
''SportsMax''. Retrieved 25 July 2021. She ranked twenty-second across all the preliminary heats and finished her competition at her fifth and final Olympic Games.Laurence, Kwame (25 July 2021)

''

Trinidad Express Newspapers The ''Trinidad and Tobago Express'', better known as ''Daily Express'' (and the weekend editions ''Saturday Express'' and ''Sunday Express''), is one of three daily newspapers in Trinidad and Tobago. The ''Daily Express'' as per its masthead is p ...

''. Retrieved 25 July 2021.

International Swimming League

The

International Swimming League The International Swimming League (ISL) is an annual professional swimming league, established in 2019. It features a team-based competition format with fast-paced race sessions. In 2019, the regular season started in October and the Final Match ...

team London Roar selected Atkinson to be a part of their roster for the 2021 International Swimming League.Penland, Spencer (1 August 2021)
"ISL Season 3: Free Agency Period Closed July 30th, Season Begins August 24th"
''

''. Retrieved 2 August 2021. At the end of the 2021 season, Atkinson ranked 17th out of the 488 swimmers who had competed in the International Swimming League since it started in 2019 and earned a positive number of

most valuable player In team sports, a most valuable player award, abbreviated 'MVP award', is an honor typically bestowed upon an individual (or individuals, in the instance of a tie) whose individual performance is the greatest in an entire league, for a particu ...

points.Keith, Braden (13 December 2021)
"Sarah Sjostrom Becomes ISL's First-Ever Swimmer To Clear 1000 MVP Points"
''

''. Retrieved 13 December 2021.

2021 World Swimming Championships

Atkinson entered to compete in the 50-metre and 100-metre breaststroke at the 2021 World Swimming Championships in Abu Dhabi,

."2021 FINA World Swimming Championships (25m): Athlete Entries"
''

''. 9 December 2021. Retrieved 10 December 2021. Leading up to the start of competition, Atkinson attended the finale of the

2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix The 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix (officially known as the Formula 1 Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix 2021) was a Formula One motor race held on 12 December 2021 at the Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Contested over a dist ...

in Abu Dhabi with

Zach Apple Zachary "Zach" Douglas Apple (born April 23, 1997) is an American competitive swimmer who specializes in the sprint freestyle events. He currently swims for DC Trident in the International Swimming League. He won his first Olympic gold medal in ...

Lydia Jacoby Lydia Alice Jacoby (born February 29, 2004) is an American professional swimmer. She was the first Alaskan to qualify for an Olympic Games in swimming, competing at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo in 2021, where she won the gold medal in the ...

, and Melanie Margalis all of the United States."Aquatics stars attend F1 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix finale!"
''

''. 12 December 2021. Retrieved 13 December 2021. On day one of competition, Atkinson tied Qianting Tang of China for first overall in the 50-metre breaststroke before Tang was disqualified, advancing Atkinson as the fastest swimmer to the semifinals with her time of 29.55 seconds.

(16 December 2021)
"15th FINA World Swimming Championships 2021 Abu Dhabi (UAE): Women's 50m Breaststroke Heats Results Summary"
''

''. Retrieved 16 December 2021.Penland, Spencer (15 December 2021)
"2021 SC World Championships: Day 1 Heats Live Recap"
''

''. Retrieved 16 December 2021. In the semifinals, she was disqualified, which marked the fourteenth disqualification in the preliminaries and semifinals of breaststroke events on day one.

(16 December 2021)
"15th FINA World Swimming Championships 2021 Abu Dhabi (UAE): Women's 50m Breaststroke Semifinals Results Summary"
''

''. Retrieved 16 December 2021.Sutherland, James (16 December 2021)
"World Record Holder Alia Atkinson Disqualified In Women's 50 Breast Semis"
''

''. Retrieved 16 December 2021. The following day, she helped place fourteenth in the 4×50-metre mixed freestyle relay, contributing a split of 25.04 seconds for the second 50 metre freestyle sprint leg of the relay.

(17 December 2021)
"15th FINA World Swimming Championships 2021 Abu Dhabi (UAE): Mixed 4x50m Freestyle Heats Results Summary"
''

''. Retrieved 4 January 2023. The third day of competition, she swam a 29.14 for the breaststroke leg of the 4×50-metre mixed medley relay, helping achieve a time of 1:45.62 and rank of seventeenth and not qualifying the relay to the final.

(18 December 2021)
"15th FINA World Swimming Championships 2021 Abu Dhabi (UAE): Mixed 4x50m Medley Relay Heats Results Summary"
''

''. Retrieved 18 December 2021. She swam a 1:04.88 in the preliminaries of the 100-metre breaststroke on day four, qualifying for the semifinals ranking third.

(19 December 2021)
"15th FINA World Swimming Championships 2021 Abu Dhabi (UAE): Women's 100m Breaststroke Heats Results Summary"
''

''. Retrieved 19 December 2021. She ranked fourth in the semifinals, qualifying for the final with a time of 1:04.26.

(19 December 2021)
"15th FINA World Swimming Championships 2021 Abu Dhabi (UAE): Women's 100m Breaststroke Semifinals Results Summary"
''

''. Retrieved 19 December 2021. In the final she placed fourth, finishing in a time of 1:04.03 and eleven-hundredths of a second behind bronze medalist Mona McSharry of

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

(20 December 2021)
"15th FINA World Swimming Championships 2021 Abu Dhabi (UAE): Women's 100m Breaststroke Final Results"
''

''. Retrieved 20 December 2021.

Retirement

Following her final event at the 2021 World Swimming Championships, Atkinson announced her retirement from swimming competitions in December 2021 via

Instagram Instagram is a photo and video sharing social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. The app allows users to upload media that can be edited with filters and organized by hashtags and geographical tagging. Posts can ...

and said something she was glad she got to end her career with was, "I get to retire with my 2 world records in tact."Dornan, Ben (21 December 2021)
"World Record Holder Alia Atkinson Announces Retirement From Swimming"
''

''. Retrieved 21 December 2021.De George, Matthew (21 December 2021)
"Alia Atkinson Officially Calls Time on Distinguished Swimming Career"
''

''. Retrieved 21 December 2021. In mid-2022, Atkinson was elected to serve as the chair for a first-ever

athlete committee focused on addressing gender and discipline-balance.Buchanan, Orane (1 July 2022)
"Atkinson elected chair of FINA's Athletes' Committee"
''

The Gleaner ''The Gleaner'' is an English-language, morning daily newspaper founded by two brothers, Jacob and Joshua de Cordova on 13 September 1834 in Kingston, Jamaica. Originally called the ''Daily Gleaner'', the name was changed on 7 December 1992 to '' ...

''. Retrieved 14 October 2022."Atkinson Selected as Chair of FINA Athletes' Committee"
''

''. 19 July 2022. Retrieved 5 October 2022.

International championships (50 m)

International championships (25 m)

Career best times

Long course metres (50 m pool)

Short course metres (25 m pool)

Swimming World Cup circuits

The following medals Atkinson has won at

circuits."Alia Atkinson: Medals"
''

''. Retrieved 9 July 2022.

Worlds records

Short course metres (25 m pool)

Notes

Not recognized as a new world record as it tied a pre-existing world record.

Awards and honours

* 2014 Swammy Award: Central American & Caribbean Female Athlete of the Year.Keith, Braden (17 December 2014)
"2014 Swammy Awards: Female Central American and Caribbean Swimmer of the Year"
''

''. Retrieved 17 July 2021. * 2014 Jamaican Sportsperson of the Year: Swimming."Alia Atkinson wins RJR Sports Foundation - People's Choice Award"
''

''. 16 January 2015. Retrieved 17 July 2021. * 2015 Swammy Award: Central American & Caribbean Female Athlete of the Year.Keith, Braden (10 December 2015)
"2015 Swammy Awards: Alia Atkinson, CAC & South American Female SOTY"
''

''. Retrieved 17 July 2021. * 2016 Swammy Award: Central American & Caribbean Female Athlete of the Year.Ortega, Karl (26 December 2016)
"2016 Swammy Awards: Caribbean/Central Am. Female Swimmer of the Year"
''

''. Retrieved 17 July 2021. * In April 2018, Atkinson was selected to serve as the flag-bearer for

at the

2018 Commonwealth Games The 2018 Commonwealth Games, officially known as the XXI Commonwealth Games and also known as Gold Coast 2018, was an international multi-sport event for members of the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth that were held on the Gold Coast, ...

, where she was the only swimmer representing the country at the Games. * In October 2018, Atkinson received the fifth highest honor in Jamaica, the Order of Distinction, Rank of Commander from the

Governor General Governor-general (plural ''governors-general''), or governor general (plural ''governors general''), is the title of an office-holder. In the context of governors-general and former British colonies, governors-general are appointed as viceroy ...

."Alia Atkinson to receive Order of Distinction"
''

''. 6 August 2018. Retrieved 17 July 2021.Aldred, Lennox (4 April 2021)
"Alia Atkinson proves the adage… hard work brings success"
''

''. Retrieved 17 July 2021. * 2018 Swammy Award: Central American & Caribbean Female Athlete of the Year.Keith, Braden (18 December 2018)
"2018 Swammy Awards: CAC Female Athlete of the Year Alia Atkinson"
''

''. Retrieved 17 July 2021. * In 2019, Atkinson was inducted into the

Athletics Hall of Fame. * 2019 Swammy Award: Central American & Caribbean Female Athlete of the Year.Keith, Braden (22 December 2019)
"2019 Swammy Awards: CAC Athlete of the Year Alia Atkinson, Jamaica"
''

''. Retrieved 17 July 2021.Morgan, Kendol (11 January 2021)
"Jamaica's Alia Atkinson wins major Swimming Award"
'' Caricom Today''. Retrieved 17 July 2021. * In December 2020, Atkinson was declared a champion ambassador to the

Special Olympics Special Olympics is the world's largest sports organization for children and adults with intellectual disabilities and physical disabilities, providing year-round training and activities to 5 million participants and Unified Sports partners in 1 ...

with her

outreach Outreach is the activity of providing services to any population that might not otherwise have access to those services. A key component of outreach is that the group providing it is not stationary, but mobile; in other words, it involves meetin ...

efforts focused on the

Caribbean Community The Caribbean Community (CARICOM or CC) is an intergovernmental organization that is a political and economic union of 15 member states (14 nation-states and one dependency) throughout the Caribbean. They have primary objectives to promote econo ...

."'Very Proud Day!' Swim star Atkinson declared Special Olympics ambassador"
''

''. 4 December 2020. Retrieved 17 July 2021. * 2020 Swammy Award: Central American & Caribbean Female Athlete of the Year.Carlson, Reid (22 December 2020)
"2020 Swammy Awards: CAC Female Athlete of the Year, Alia Atkinson"
''

''. Retrieved 17 July 2021. * ''

'' Top 100 (Women's): 2021 (#56).Ortegon, Karl (10 February 2021)
"SwimSwam's Top 100 For 2021: Women's #75 — #51"
''

''. Retrieved 11 October 2021. * In November 2021, Atkinson received an

honorary degree An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or '' ad ho ...

Doctor of Law A Doctor of Law is a degree in law. The application of the term varies from country to country and includes degrees such as the Doctor of Juridical Science (J.S.D. or S.J.D), Juris Doctor (J.D.), Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), and Legum Doctor ( ...

s, from the

University of the West Indies The University of the West Indies (UWI), originally University College of the West Indies, is a public university system established to serve the higher education needs of the residents of 17 English-speaking countries and territories in t ...

.De George, Matthew (5 November 2021)
"Alia Atkinson Receives Honorary Doctorate of Laws"
''

''. Retrieved 5 November 2021.

References

External links

Background

Career

2004–2011

2012

2012 Summer Olympics

2012 World Swimming Championships

2014

2014 Commonwealth Games

2014 Swimming World Cup

2014 World Swimming Championships

2015

2015 World Aquatics Championships

2015 Swimming World Cup

2016

2016 Summer Olympics

2016 Swimming World Cup

2016 World Swimming Championships

2018

2018 Swimming World Cup

2018 World Swimming Championships

2019

2019 World Aquatics Championships

International Swimming League

2021–2022

2020 Summer Olympics

International Swimming League

2021 World Swimming Championships

Retirement

International championships (50 m)

International championships (25 m)

Career best times

Long course metres (50 m pool)

Short course metres (25 m pool)

Swimming World Cup circuits

Worlds records

Short course metres (25 m pool)

Notes

Awards and honours

See also

References

External links