WRITTEN BY SHARON ROBB
January 1, 2011
Alia Atkinson smiled when asked whether she was the “Queen of Swimming” in Jamaica.
“I think I am still a princess,” Atkinson said. “I have a ways to go.
“There is a responsibility to my country. The time I set is dwindling. I told them I wanted to make a medal. That is still my goal, however far it is or however close, I really don’t know.
“Reality hits sometimes. That time frame is going down. I only have two years. Each meet is getting more and more important to drop my time standard and ranking.”
The two-time Olympian and South Florida Aquatic Club swimmer is definitely a member of Jamaica’s royalty in swimming and one of the most accomplished swimmers in her country’s history.
“I have confidence in my swimming and confidence in myself,” Atkinson said.
Atkinson is stepping up her training for the next two years. She is changing her stroke (kick, pull and head position) and trying new things.
“It is nice, except I am in that little nervous phase,” Atkinson said. “I think it will be good. It will get me to the next level.”
Now that she has graduated from Texas A&M with a degree in child psychology, her focus is stepping up her training and getting to the next level.
“That was the idea coming out of college,” Atkinson said. “Swimming is the focus now, re-directing myself, training and focusing. It is good. I didn’t think how hard it was going to be to motivate myself by myself. I hear about everybody moving on. Almost half of my college friends that graduated with me are already married and finding jobs.”
Atkinson, who turned 22 on December 11, is her own worst critic at times.
“I am hard on myself,” Atkinson said. “At the Olympics I said I wanted to make semifinals and when I didn’t it just seemed I shouldn’t be setting myself goals and limits. I really don’t want to be stuck in prelims anymore, that phase of my life should be finished. This is a whole new me.”
Atkinson was recently nominated for Sportswoman of the Year in Jamaica . The winner will be announced on January 21.
Looking at her accomplishments in a jam-packed 2010, Atkinson was the overwhelming choice for SOFLO’s inaugural Athlete of the Year.
In March, Atkinson went out a champion at Texas A&M after becoming only the second Aggies swimmer in school history to win an NCAA title. Atkinson won the 200-meter breaststroke title on the final night of the NCAA Division I Women’s Swimming and Diving Championships at Purdue University’s Boilermaker Aquatic Center in West Lafayette, Ind. Seeded second going into the event, she won in a pool record 2 minutes, 7.38 seconds.
The All-American is the third fastest breaststroker in NCAA history and finished her collegiate career with a long list of honors and accomplishments.
The journey was just beginning in 2010 for Atkinson who then focused on international competition for her beloved Jamaica.
At the Central American and Caribbean Games in Puerto Rico, Atkinson broke the CAC Games record in the 200-meter breaststroke in morning prelims (2:33.63) and broke it again in the final (2:30.99).
She broke more meet records in a gold-medal 200-meter individual medley swim (2:17.31), 100-meter breaststroke in a meet record 1:10.25 and 50-meter breaststroke in 31.91, bettering her own meet record she broke in morning prelims (32.98).
Atkinson walked away with four gold medals and seven meet records.
A few months later at the Commonwealth Games in India, Atkinson, despite being ill for the first 36 hours after arriving in New Delhi where several athletes and coaches were stricken with “Delhi Belly,” qualified for the 50-meter breaststroke final and finished eighth in her first championship final at the Commonwealth Games. She broke her national record twice in the event (32.24 and 32.13) and moved into the Top 50 world rankings.
She just missed making the 200 breaststroke final, placing tenth in 2:34.32, finished 11th in the 100-meter breaststroke and was 12th in the 200-meter individual medley.
In early December, Jamaica’s Olympic Association awarded Atkinson with an elite scholarship to enable her to train through the 2012 London Olympics. She was one of six Jamaican athletes and the only swimmer selected for the elite scholarship worth about $84,000 (or $1,000 per month).
She finished out the year at the Dec. 15-19 FINA World Swimming Short Course Championships in Dubai, where she became the first Jamaican swimmer to qualify for two championship world short course finals. She finished sixth in the 50-meter breaststroke in 30.22 and finished eighth in the 200-meter breaststroke in 2:25.49.
Her longtime coach Chris Anderson, who helped to mold Atkinson into a world-class swimmer since she arrived at the Academic Village Pool at age 13 in August 2002, has resumed training her along with six-time Olympic coach Michael Lohberg. The Flanagan graduate is one of the Comets program’s greatest success stories.
“Obviously, she is a great role model,” Anderson said. “I don’t think I will ever really take a picture of that (her legacy) until she is done. She is extremely special, she is a part of our program. It is a pleasure to work with her on a daily basis. She has improved me as a coach as I think I have at least helped her improve as an athlete.
“If anybody can get more of out swimming, she can. If anybody would, she would. At this point, she knows how to get there.”
Sharon Robb can be reached at sha11cats@aol.com.
South Florida Aquatic Club's Blog 