Akela Jones

About

Multi award-winning athlete highly reputed for her exceptional achievements in track and field, including a 2014 World Junior Championship gold medal in the long jump, the title of 2015 NCAA Heptathlon Champion, and a 2015 Pan American Games bronze medal in the high jump. She also famously became the Barbadian record-holder in women's heptathlon, pentathlon, long jump, and high jump. 

Before Fame

She made her career debut in the CARIFTA Games when she was just 12 years old. She earned her first gold medal at the games in 2010. Later that year, she became the first Barbadian to win a Penn Relay high school event. At the 2011 CARIFTA trials, she set records in both the national youth and junior women's long jump. In 2014, she became the first Barbadian to win a World Junior Championship medal. Later that year, she also earned the title of Barbadian Sports-Personality of the Year. 

Trivia

In 2015, she was named the Women's National Field Athlete of the Year in the NCAA Division I by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association. She also earned the Austin Sealy Award as most outstanding athlete of the CARIFTA Games meet.

Family Life

She is the daughter of Marlene Hall. She has five siblings named John, Jah, Jonathan, Ioka Jones, and Irecka Louis. 

Associated With

During her 2014-2015 outdoor season at Kansas State University, her first day total of 4023 points broke the 30-year, 3942-point record that had been previously set by Olympic gold medalist Jackie Joyner-Kersee in 1985.