Alia Shanee Atkinson, СD (born 11 December 1988) is a Jamaican five-time Olympian 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 World Swimming Championships, 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 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 32 countries and ...

, in

2006 2006 was designated as the International Year of Deserts and Desertification. Events January * January 1– 4 – Russia temporarily cuts shipment of natural gas to Ukraine during a price dispute. * January 12 – A stampede during t ...

2010 The year saw a multitude of natural and environmental disasters such as the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and the 2010 Chile earthquake. The 2009 swine flu pandemic, swine flu pandemic which began the previous year ...

, and

2018 Events January * January 1 – Bulgaria takes over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, after the Estonian presidency. * January 4 – SPLM-IO rebels loyal to Chan Garang Lual start a raid against Juba, capital of ...

. In 2014, Atkinson became the first

Afro-Jamaican ''See also'' Mulattos in Jamaica Afro-Jamaicans are Jamaicans of predominantly African descent. They represent the largest ethnic group in the country. The ethnogenesis of the Black Jamaican people stemmed from the Atlantic slave trade of ...

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 organizatio ...

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 The 2012 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012, were an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, the ...

, 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, sharing its SW15 postcode with neighbouring Putney and Kingston Vale, and takes up a far western strip, running north to south, in the London Borough of Wandsworth. It contains a number of large counc ...

, Jamaica 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 (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

, moving to

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

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

breaststroke Breaststroke is a human swimming, 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 ...

. Before then she mostly swam freestyle and

butterfly Butterflies are winged insects from the lepidopteran superfamily Papilionoidea, characterized by large, often brightly coloured wings that often fold together when at rest, and a conspicuous, fluttering flight. The oldest butterfly fossi ...

. She was coached by Chris Anderson from 2001 through to her retirement in 2021. She mostly trained with the South Florida Aquatic Club 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. It is a suburb of and the fourth-most populous city in the Miami metropolitan area. The population of Pembroke ...

in an

Olympic-size swimming pool An Olympic-size swimming pool is a swimming pool which conforms to the regulations for length, breadth, and depth made by World Aquatics (formerly FINA) for swimming at the Summer Olympics and the swimming events at the World Aquatics Champions ...

. In college, she majored in

Psychology Psychology is the scientific study of mind and behavior. Its subject matter includes the behavior of humans and nonhumans, both consciousness, conscious and Unconscious mind, unconscious phenomena, and mental processes such as thoughts, feel ...

, earning her

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

degree from

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

in 2010, where she also competed as part of the

Texas A&M Aggies The Texas A&M Aggies are the students, graduates, and sports teams of Texas A&M University. The nickname "wikt:aggie#Etymology 2, Aggie" was once common at land-grant or "ag" (agriculture) schools in many states. The teams are also simply referr ...

swim team under Hall of Fame coach Steve Bultman.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'' is a swimming news organization covering competitive swimming along with diving, water polo and synchronized swimming. SwimSwam launched as a website in March 2012. History The news organization was founded by Braden Keith, Garrett ...

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

Olympic Games The modern Olympic Games (Olympics; ) are the world's preeminent international Olympic sports, sporting events. They feature summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a Multi-s ...

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

FINA World Aquatics, formerly known as FINA (; ), is the international federation recognised by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) for administering international competitions in List of water sports, water sports. It is one of several interna ...

''. 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 The 2004 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad (), and officially branded as Athens 2004 (), were an international multi-sport event held from 13 to 29 August 2004 in Athens, Greece. The Games saw 10,625 athletes ...

Athens Athens ( ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Greece, largest city of Greece. A significant coastal urban area in the Mediterranean, Athens is also the capital of the Attica (region), Attica region and is the southe ...

, Greece. 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; , CIO) is the international, non-governmental, sports governing body of the modern Olympic Games. Founded in 1894 by Pierre de Coubertin and Demetrios Vikelas, it is based i ...

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

Commonwealth Games The Commonwealth Games is a quadrennial international multi-sport event among athletes from the Commonwealth of Nations, which consists mostly, but not exclusively, of territories of the former British Empire. The event was first held in 1930 ...

, the

2006 Commonwealth Games The 2006 Commonwealth Games, officially the XVIII Commonwealth Games and commonly known as Melbourne 2006, were an International sport, international multi-sport event for members of the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth held in Melbourne ...

Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...

, 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

Jamaica Jamaica is an island country in the Caribbean Sea and the West Indies. At , it is the third-largest island—after Cuba and Hispaniola—of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean. Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, west of Hispaniola (the is ...

at the opening ceremony of the

2007 Pan American Games The 2007 Pan American Games, officially known as the XV Pan American Games () and commonly known as Rio 2007, 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 ...

Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro, or simply Rio, is the capital of the Rio de Janeiro (state), state of Rio de Janeiro. It is the List of cities in Brazil by population, second-most-populous city in Brazil (after São Paulo) and the Largest cities in the America ...

, Brazil, 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 officially branded as Beijing 2008 (), were an international multisport event held from 8 to 24 August 2008, in Beijing, China. A total of 10,942 athletes fr ...

Beijing Beijing, Chinese postal romanization, previously romanized as Peking, is the capital city of China. With more than 22 million residents, it is the world's List of national capitals by population, most populous national capital city as well as ...

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

2010 Commonwealth Games The 2010 Commonwealth Games, officially known as the XIX Commonwealth Games and commonly known as Delhi 2010, were an international multi-sport event for the members of the Commonwealth that was held in Delhi, India, from 3 to 14 October 201 ...

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, but spread chiefly to the west, or beyond its Bank (geography ...

, India 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. It is the oldest continuously published newspaper in the Western Hemisphere. Original ...

''. 4 October 2010. Retrieved 16 July 2021. She placed first in the 200-yard breaststroke at the 2010 NCAA Championships, swimming for

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

. 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 () and commonly known as Guadalajara 2011, were an international multi-sport event held from October 14–30, 2011, in Guadalajara, Mexico. Some events were held in the nearby c ...

Guadalajara Guadalajara ( ; ) is the capital and the most populous city in the western Mexican List of states of Mexico, state of Jalisco, as well as the most densely populated municipality in Jalisco. According to the 2020 census, the city has a population ...

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

2012

2012 Summer Olympics

At the

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

, England, 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 Janelle Atkinson who achieved the feat at the

2000 Summer Olympics The 2000 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXVII Olympiad, officially branded as Sydney 2000, and also known as the Games of the New Millennium, were an international multi-sport event held from 15 September to 1 October ...

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 is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, constituting the country's economic, cultural, and historical heart. With Demographics of Istanbul, a population over , it is home to 18% of the Demographics ...

, Turkey 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''. 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"
'' Omega Timing''. Retrieved 16 July 2021.

2014

2014 Commonwealth Games

She won two medals at the

2014 Commonwealth Games The 2014 Commonwealth Games (), officially known as the XX Commonwealth Games and commonly known as Glasgow 2014 (; ), were an international multi-sport event celebrated in the tradition of the Commonwealth Games as governed by the Commonwea ...

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 quarterly 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'' (kn ...

''. 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 an island country and city-state in Southeast Asia. The country's territory comprises one main island, 63 satellite islands and islets, and one outlying islet. It is about one degree ...

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"
'' Omega Timing''. Retrieved 16 July 2021.

2014 World Swimming Championships

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

Doha Doha ( ) 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 (city), Al Khor and Lusail, it is home to most of the country's population. It ...

, Qatar 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, 100 metre breaststroke and long course 50 metre breaststroke. She is a former ...

in 2013), becoming the first

woman to win a world swimming title.

(7 December 2014)
"12th FINA World Swimming Championships (25m): Complete Results Book"
'' Omega Timing''. 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 Aquatics Championships, FINA World Championships (), also Aquatics 2015, were held in Kazan, Russia from 24 July to 9 August 2015. Russia hosted this event for the first time. The number of participating national teams (190), ...

Kazan Kazan; , IPA: Help:IPA/Tatar, ɑzanis the largest city and capital city, capital of Tatarstan, Russia. The city lies at the confluence of the Volga and the Kazanka (river), Kazanka Rivers, covering an area of , with a population of over 1. ...

, Russia, 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"
'' Omega Timing''. 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"
'' Omega Timing''. 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 ...

stop in

Dubai Dubai (Help:IPA/English, /duːˈbaɪ/ Help:Pronunciation respelling key, ''doo-BYE''; Modern Standard Arabic, Modern Standard Arabic: ; Emirati Arabic, Emirati Arabic: , Romanization of Arabic, romanized: Help:IPA/English, /diˈbej/) is the Lis ...

, United Arab Emirates 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 The 2016 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXXI Olympiad () and officially branded as Rio 2016, were an international multi-sport event held from 5 to 21 August 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, with preliminary events i ...

, Brazil, 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 Chartres () is the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Eure-et-Loir Departments of France, department in the Centre-Val de Loire Regions of France, region in France. It is located about southwest of Paris. At the 2019 census, there were 1 ...

, France 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"
'' Omega Timing''. 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, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...

, 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"
'' Omega Timing''. Retrieved 16 July 2021.

2016 World Swimming Championships

In December 2016 at the 2016 World Swimming Championships in Windsor, Canada 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 Lillia Camille King (born February 10, 1997) is an American competitive swimmer who specialized in breaststroke. At the 2016 Summer Olympics, she won the gold medal in the 100-meter breaststroke competition and also won a gold medal in the 4x1 ...

. 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"
'' Omega Timing''. 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 city, capital and List of cities and towns of Hungary, most populous city of Hungary. It is the List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, tenth-largest city in the European Union by popul ...

, Hungary. 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"
'' Omega Timing''. 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, , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ; formerly romanized as Hangchow is a sub-provincial city in East China and the capital of Zhejiang province. With a population of 13 million, the municipality comprises ten districts, two counti ...

, 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 former competitive Swimming (sport), swimmer specialized in individual medley events. She is a three-time Olympic champion and a nine-time long-course world champion. She is the owner of a Budap ...

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 with a time of 1:03.51 in the final.

(16 December 2018)
"14th FINA World Swimming Championships (25m): Complete Results Book"
'' Omega Timing''. 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 (; ), formerly romanized as Kwangju, is South Korea's list of cities in South Korea, sixth-largest metropolis. It is a designated Special cities of South Korea, metropolitan city under the direct control of the central government's Home ...

, South Korea 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 for NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, that is responsible for sports broadcasts on their broadcast network NBC, the Cable television, cable channels NBC owns, and on Peacock (streaming service) ...

''. Retrieved 15 July 2021.

(29 July 2019)
"18th FINA World Championships Gwangju (KOR): Women's 50m Breaststroke Final Heat 1 Results"
'' Omega Timing''. 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 Team Iron is a professional swimming team co-owned by Katinka Hosszú, and a founding member of the International Swimming League. The team is based in Budapest, Hungary, led by general manager Dorina Szekeres and head coach Jozsef Nagy. Durin ...

. 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 The officially the and officially branded as were an international multi-sport event that was held from 23 July to 8 August 2021 in Tokyo, Japan, with some of the preliminary sporting events beginning on 21 July 2021. Tokyo ...

, 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 The ''Jamaica Observer'' is a daily newspaper published in Kingston, Jamaica Kingston is the Capital (political), capital and largest city of Jamaica, located on the southeastern coast of the island. It faces a natural harbour protected by ...

''. 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''. Retrieved 25 July 2021.

International Swimming League

The

International Swimming League The International Swimming League (ISL) was 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 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 FINA World Swimming Championships (25 m), 2021 World Swimming Championships in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates."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 in Abu Dhabi with Zach Apple, Lydia Jacoby, 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 Tang Qianting, Qianting Tang of China for first overall in the 2021 FINA World Swimming Championships (25 m) – Women's 50 metre breaststroke, 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"
'' Omega Timing''. 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"
'' Omega Timing''. 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 2021 FINA World Swimming Championships (25 m) – Mixed 4 × 50 metre freestyle relay, 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"
'' Omega Timing''. Retrieved 4 January 2023. The third day of competition, she swam a 29.14 for the breaststroke leg of the 2021 FINA World Swimming Championships (25 m) – Mixed 4 × 50 metre medley relay, 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"
'' Omega Timing''. Retrieved 18 December 2021. She swam a 1:04.88 in the preliminaries of the 2021 FINA World Swimming Championships (25 m) – Women's 100 metre breaststroke, 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"
'' Omega Timing''. 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"
'' Omega Timing''. 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 Republic of Ireland, Ireland.

(20 December 2021)
"15th FINA World Swimming Championships 2021 Abu Dhabi (UAE): Women's 100m Breaststroke Final Results"
'' Omega Timing''. 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 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[sic]."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''. Retrieved 14 October 2022."Atkinson Selected as Chair of FINA Athletes' Committee"
''

''. 19 July 2022. Retrieved 5 October 2022. She is also a Global Ambassador for Special Olympics International.https://www.specialolympics.org/about/ambassadors/alia-atkinson

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 Swimming World Cup 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 Awards, 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 Awards, 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 Awards, 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, 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, Order of Distinction, Rank of Commander from the Governor-General of Jamaica, Governor General."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 Awards, 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 Texas A&M University, Texas A&M Athletics Hall of Fame. * 2019 Swammy Awards, 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"
''Caribbean Community, Caricom Today''. Retrieved 17 July 2021. * In December 2020, Atkinson was declared a champion ambassador to the Special Olympics with her outreach efforts focused on the Caribbean Community."'Very Proud Day!' Swim star Atkinson declared Special Olympics ambassador"
''

''. 4 December 2020. Retrieved 17 July 2021. * 2020 Swammy Awards, 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, Doctor of Laws, from the University of the West Indies.De George, Matthew (5 November 2021)
"Alia Atkinson Receives Honorary Doctorate of Laws"
''

''. Retrieved 5 November 2021.

References

External links

* * * * * * *
NCAA Swimming and Diving DIVISION I WOMEN'S
{{DEFAULTSORT:Atkinson, Alia 1988 births Living people Olympic swimmers for Jamaica Commonwealth Games silver medallists in swimming Commonwealth Games bronze medallists in swimming Pan American Games silver medalists for Jamaica Swimmers at the 2003 Pan American Games Swimmers at the 2004 Summer Olympics Swimmers at the 2006 Commonwealth Games Swimmers at the 2007 Pan American Games Swimmers at the 2008 Summer Olympics Swimmers at the 2010 Commonwealth Games Swimmers at the 2011 Pan American Games Swimmers at the 2012 Summer Olympics Swimmers at the 2014 Commonwealth Games Swimmers at the 2018 Commonwealth Games Swimmers at the 2015 Pan American Games Swimmers at the 2016 Summer Olympics Swimmers at the 2020 Summer Olympics Jamaican female swimmers Texas A&M Aggies women's swimmers Expatriate swimmers in the United States Medalists at the FINA World Swimming Championships (25 m) World Aquatics Championships medalists in swimming World record setters in swimming World record holders in swimming Commonwealth Games silver medallists for Jamaica Commonwealth Games bronze medallists for Jamaica Pan American Games silver medalists in swimming Central American and Caribbean Games gold medalists for Jamaica Central American and Caribbean Games silver medalists for Jamaica Central American and Caribbean Games bronze medalists for Jamaica Competitors at the 2006 Central American and Caribbean Games Competitors at the 2010 Central American and Caribbean Games Competitors at the 2018 Central American and Caribbean Games Central American and Caribbean Games medalists in swimming Medalists at the 2011 Pan American Games Medalists at the 2015 Pan American Games 21st-century American sportswomen Sportspeople from Saint James Parish, Jamaica Medallists at the 2014 Commonwealth Games Medallists at the 2018 Commonwealth Games Commanders of the Order of Distinction