Akela Jones
Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Born | Saint Michael, Barbados | 22 April 1995||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Height | 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Weight | 77 kg (170 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Sport | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Country | Barbados | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Event(s) | Heptathlon High jump Long jump | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
College team | Oklahoma Baptist Bison Kansas State Wildcats | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Coached by | Cliff Rovelto[1] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Achievements and titles | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Personal best(s) | Heptathlon: 6371w/6303 NR (2015) Long jump: 6.80i NR (2016) High jump: 1.98 NR (2015) 100 m hurdles: 13.00 (2016) Pentathlon: 4402i NR (2015) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Updated on 26 July 2015. |
Akela Jones (born 22 April 1995) is a Barbadian
Early career
Jones first competed in the CARIFTA Games as a 12-year-old in 2008, winning silver in the under-17 girls' high jump with a jump of 1.71 m.[2][3] On 20 March 2009 Jones cleared 1.81 m in Bridgetown; as of July 2015[update], this remains the age 13 world best.[4][5] At the 2009 CARIFTA Games she repeated her silver from the previous year, clearing 1.80 m to equal the championship record but losing to Jamaica's Petergaye Reid on countback.[6] Jones won her first CARIFTA Games gold medal in 2010, clearing a championship record 1.85 m in the high jump; additionally, she won silver with the Barbadian team in the 4 × 100 metres relay.[7][8] Later that spring, she became the first Barbadian to win a high school event at the Penn Relays, winning the girls' high jump with 1.81 m.[9]
Jones set a national youth and junior record in the women's long jump, 6.18 m, at the 2011 Barbadian CARIFTA Trials.[10] She won two gold medals at the 2011 CARIFTA Games, winning both the high jump (1.75 m) and the long jump (5.66 m).[11] She was selected for her first global meet, the 2011 World Youth Championships in Lille, as a long jumper;[12] jumping 6.10 m in the qualification and 6.04 m in the final, she placed sixth.[7]
In 2012 Jones competed in the CARIFTA Games as an under-20 athlete for the first time, winning gold in the long jump (6.18 m), silver in the high jump (1.80 m) and bronze in the 4 × 100 m relay.[7] At the CAC Junior Championships she won gold medals in both the long jump (6.36 m) and the high jump (1.81 m); her long jump mark was a new championship record and Barbadian junior record, while her high jump mark equaled the championship record.[13] She competed in the long jump at the 2012 World Junior Championships in Barcelona, but was eliminated in the qualification.[14]
Jones enrolled in Oklahoma Baptist University, a NAIA college, after the 2012 season; she had originally intended to go to the NCAA's Kansas State University, but lacked the course credits.[15] During the 2013 indoor season Jones set Barbadian indoor records in both the high jump (1.85 m) and long jump (6.26 m); at the 2013 NAIA indoor championships she won both events, and additionally placed second in the 60 m hurdles.[7] Jones won four medals at the 2013 CARIFTA Games, winning gold in the under-20 long jump (6.19 m) and silver in the high jump, 100 m hurdles and 4 × 100 m relay.[7] At the NAIA outdoor championships she won the long jump, high jump and 100 m hurdles and placed second in the flat 100 m.[16]
2014
Jones set a Barbadian indoor record in women's pentathlon, 4194 points, in Wichita on 31 January 2014.[7] She repeated as NAIA indoor champion in both the high jump and long jump, and also won the pentathlon and 60 m hurdles; in addition, she placed second in the flat 60 m, leading the Oklahoma Baptist women to a team championship.[17] At her final CARIFTA Games appearance in April 2014, Jones won the under-20 women's long jump (6.32 m), high jump (1.84 m) and 100 m hurdles (13.55); she received the Austin Sealy Award as the most outstanding athlete of the meet.[18][19] The following month, she repeated as NAIA outdoor champion in the long jump, high jump and 100 m hurdles; her winning mark in the long jump (6.55 m) was a new Barbadian record.[7][20]
At the 2014 World Junior Championships in Eugene, Oregon Jones won gold in the long jump, jumping 6.34 m into a strong headwind; she was the first Barbadian ever to win a World Junior Championship medal.[21] She also qualified for the high jump final, but decided to skip it after the long jump gold to avoid aggravating a minor knee problem.[21] In recognition of her achievements in 2014, Jones was named Barbadian Sportspersonality of the Year.[22]
2015
Jones transferred from Oklahoma Baptist to Kansas State University for the 2014–15 season.[15][23] She had a successful 2015 indoor season, winning the Big 12 Conference long jump title and setting Barbadian indoor records in the long jump (6.64 m) and pentathlon (4402 points); her long jump mark ranked second in the NCAA that year, behind Jenna Prandini of Oregon.[7][24] At the NCAA indoor championships she placed fourth in the high jump and sixth in the long jump.[24]
Outdoors, Jones made her heptathlon debut at the Jim Click Invitational in Tucson, breaking the Barbadian record with her tally of 6049 points.[25] At the Big 12 outdoor championships she placed second in three events – the 100 m hurdles, high jump and long jump.[7] The second heptathlon of Jones's career was at the 2015 NCAA outdoor championships in Eugene; she won the championship with a wind-aided total of 6371 points, defeating defending champion Kendell Williams of Georgia.[1] Jones's day one score, 4023 points, marked the first time an NCAA heptathlete had reached 4000 points after four events; her two-day total placed her fourth (behind Diane Guthrie-Gresham, Brianne Theisen-Eaton and Jackie Joyner-Kersee) on the collegiate all-time list and broke Austra Skujytė's Kansas State record.[26][27] In her other event at the NCAA championships, the high jump, Jones equaled her personal best of 1.87 m and placed fourth; the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association named her Women's National Field Athlete of the Year in NCAA Division I.[26]
In July 2015, Jones represented Barbados at the Pan American Games in Toronto, clearing 1.91 m to win bronze in the women's high jump. In addition, she placed sixth in the long jump with 6.60 m; both marks were new Barbadian outdoor records.[7]
2016
Outdoors, Jones made her heptathlon debut at the
Personal bests
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- Other bests
- 100 metres – 11.64(2015)
References
- ^ a b "Kansas State's Akela Jones claims heptathlon title at NCAA nationals". ESPN. 12 June 2015. Retrieved 26 July 2015.
- ^ Toppin, Sherrylyn A. (23 April 2014). "Akela's golden legacy". Nationnews Barbados. Archived from the original on 2 October 2018. Retrieved 26 July 2015.
- International Association of Athletics Federations. Retrieved 26 July 2015.
- ^ Eisold, Dominique. "International Age Records".
- ^ Butler, Mark, ed. (2013). "IAAF World Championships Statistics Handbook Moscow 2013". IAAF Media & Public Relations Department: 486.
{{cite journal}}
: Cite journal requires|journal=
(help) - ^ Finisterre, Terry (12 April 2009). "James' 45.45sec beats Bolt's mark; Nero well inside 27yr-old record - CARIFTA Games, Day 2". International Association of Athletics Federations. Archived from the original on 20 April 2009.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Akela Jones at Tilastopaja (registration required)
- ^ "Jones, Wright smash records on opening Carifta Games day". Guyana Chronicle. April 4, 2010. Retrieved 26 July 2015.
- ^ "Excitement Continues on Day Two!". Penn Relays. 23 April 2010. Archived from the original on 6 May 2010. Retrieved 26 July 2015.
- ^ Harvey, Petra (4 April 2011). "Jones sets new junior long jump record at CARIFTA trials". The Barbados Advocate. Retrieved 26 July 2015.[permanent dead link]
- ^ Finisterre, Terry (25 April 2011). "Four meet records fall in Montego Bay - CARIFTA Games, Day 2". International Association of Athletics Federations. Retrieved 26 July 2015.
- ^ Harris, Alan (28 June 2011). "Former Olympian Bailey wins 200m; disqualified in 100m". The Barbados Advocate. Retrieved 26 July 2015.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "Record leaps for Akela". Nationnews Barbados. 1 July 2012. Archived from the original on 2 October 2018. Retrieved 26 July 2015.
- ^ Akela Jones at World Athletics
- ^ a b Marville, Justin (30 May 2014). "Akela's leap to Kansas". Nationnews Barbados. Archived from the original on 2 October 2018. Retrieved 26 July 2015.
- ^ Gooding, Petra (26 May 2013). "Akela Jones shines at NAIA championship". The Barbados Advocate. Retrieved 26 July 2015.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "2014 NAIA Indoor National Championships Finals Recap". NAIA. 8 March 2014. Archived from the original on 2 October 2018. Retrieved 26 July 2015.
- ^ "Jones wins Austin Sealy Award". Nationnews Barbados. 21 April 2014. Archived from the original on 31 October 2018. Retrieved 26 July 2015.
- ^ Lawrence, Kwame (21 April 2014). "CARIFTA 2014 DAY 3 UPDATES – Golden Clarke; T&T 2nd". Trinidad Express. Archived from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 26 July 2015.
- ^ "www.barbadosadvocate.com/newsitem.asp?more=sports&NewsID=36534". The Barbados Advocate. 24 May 2014. Retrieved 26 July 2015.[permanent dead link]
- ^ a b Gooding, Petra (31 July 2014). "Golden girl returns home". The Barbados Advocate. Archived from the original on 23 October 2015. Retrieved 26 July 2015.
- ^ Gooding, Petra (19 January 2015). "Akela Jones takes top sports award". The Barbados Advocate. Retrieved 26 July 2015.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "Region Athletes & Coaches of the Year for NCAA Division I Indoor Track & Field Announced". U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA). 6 March 2015. Retrieved 26 July 2015.
- ^ a b "Nominees Announced for Class of 2015 Honda Sport Award for Track & Field". Collegiate Women Sports Awards. 15 June 2015. Retrieved 26 July 2015.
- ^ "Barbados Athletics: Akela Jones sets new national record". Digicel Sportsmax. 11 April 2015. Retrieved 26 July 2015.
- ^ a b "National Athletes of the Year for 2015 NCAA DI Outdoor T&F Announced". USTFCCCA. 17 June 2015. Retrieved 26 July 2015.
- ^ Morse, Jon (11 June 2015). "K-State's Akela Jones destroys heptathlon, breaks Austra Skujyte's school record". Bring On The Cats. Retrieved 26 July 2015.
- ^ "Rio 2016". Rio 2016. Archived from the original on 2016-08-06. Retrieved 2016-08-22.
- ^ "Rio 2016". Rio 2016. Archived from the original on 2016-08-26. Retrieved 2016-08-22.
- ^ "The Flagbearers for the Rio 2016 Closing Ceremony". 2016-08-21. Retrieved 2016-08-22.
External links
- Akela Jones at World Athletics
- Akela Jones on Instagram
- Akela Jones of Barbados All-Athletics Profile
- Akela Jones – Kansas State profile at TFRRS
- "Jones ready to make Barbados proud in Rio" at World Athletics
- Akela Jones at Olympedia
- Akela Jones at Olympics.com