41 Facts About Alia Atkinson

Alia Atkinson won a total of 124 medals, of which 74 were gold medals, at Swimming World Cup circuits over the course of her career.

Alia Atkinson won 14 total medals in individual events, 11 gold, 1 silver, and 2 bronze, from her first three Central American and Caribbean Games, in 2006,2010, and 2018.

In 2014, Atkinson became the first Afro-Jamaican to win a world title in swimming, winning the short course 100-metre breaststroke at the 2014 World Swimming Championships with a world record time of 1:02.36.

Alia Atkinson was coached by Chris Anderson from 2001 through to her retirement in 2021.

Alia Atkinson mostly trained with the South Florida Aquatic Club swim team in Pembroke Pines, Florida in an Olympic-size swimming pool.

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

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

In March 2006, Atkinson competed at her first Commonwealth Games, the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne, Australia.

Alia Atkinson carried the flag for her Jamaica at the opening ceremony of the 2007 Pan American Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, where she set the Jamaican record in the 100-metre butterfly with a time of 1:02.40.

Alia Atkinson competed in the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi, India in October.

At the 2011 Pan American Games in Guadalajara, Mexico, Alia Atkinson won the silver medal in the 200-metre individual medley.

At the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, England, Alia Atkinson competed in three individual events.

Alia Atkinson subsequently placed 4th in the final of the 2012 Olympics 100 m women's breaststroke finishing with a time of 1:06.93.

Alia Atkinson competed in the 50-metre freestyle where she placed 37th overall.

Alia Atkinson won the silver medal in the 50-metre breaststroke with a time of 29.67 in the final.

Alia Atkinson won two medals at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in the summer of 2014, silver in the 50 m breaststroke and bronze in the 100 m breaststroke.

Alia Atkinson set two Commonwealth Games records in the heats and semifinal of the 50 m breaststroke.

At the 2014 FINA Swimming World Cup stop in Singapore in November 2014, Alia Atkinson won the short course 200-metre breaststroke, setting a new national record with her time of 2:17.84.

Alia Atkinson won the 100-metre breaststroke at the 2014 Short Course World Championships in Doha, Qatar in December, becoming the first Afro-Jamaican woman to win a world swimming title.

Alia Atkinson's swim was the second time a woman hit the 1:02.36 mark internationally after Meilutyte.

Alia Atkinson won the silver medal in the 50-metre breaststroke with a time of 30.11 in the final.

Alia Atkinson's swim set a new national record for Jamaica in the 50-metre breaststroke.

Alia Atkinson's 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.

At the 2016 FINA Swimming World Cup stop in Chartres, France in August 2016, Alia Atkinson again tied the world record in the short course 100-metre breaststroke with a time of 1:02.36.

Alia Atkinson did not win the $10,000 prize money for a world record as it was not a new world record.

In December 2016 at the 2016 World Swimming Championships in Windsor, Canada and conducted in short course metres, Alia Atkinson medaled in three individual events.

Alia Atkinson won the gold medal in the 100-metre breastsroke ahead of Lilly King.

Alia Atkinson competed for Jamaica at the 2018 FINA Swimming World Cup in Budapest, Hungary.

Alia Atkinson's 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 Hosszu and Runa Imai.

Alia 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.

At the 2019 World Aquatics Championships in Gwangju, South Korea in July 2019, Alia Atkinson finished in fourth place with a time of 30.34 in the final of the 50-metre breaststroke.

In 2019 Alia Atkinson was a member of the 2019 International Swimming League representing Team Iron.

Alia Atkinson was a valuable member of the team winning the 50m breaststroke in all 3 matches the team competed in, and she picked up two wins and one second-place finish in the 100m breaststroke.

On 14 July 2021, FINA released its entry list for the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan including that Alia Atkinson was entered to compete in the 100-metre breaststroke.

Alia Atkinson ranked twenty-second across all the preliminary heats and finished her competition at her fifth and final Olympic Games.

The International Swimming League team London Roar selected Alia Atkinson to be a part of their roster for the 2021 International Swimming League.

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

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

Alia Atkinson ranked fourth in the semifinals, qualifying for the final with a time of 1:04.26.

In mid-2022, Alia Atkinson was elected to serve as the chair for a first-ever FINA athlete committee focused on addressing gender and discipline-balance.

Alia Atkinson is a Global Ambassador for Special Olympics International.