Akela Jones

Akela Jones (born 22 April 1995) is a Barbadian track and field athlete who holds Barbadian records in the women's heptathlon, pentathlon, long jump and high jump. She won gold in the long jump at the 2014 World Junior Championships. In 2015, she was NCAA champion in the heptathlon and won bronze in the high jump at the Pan American Games.

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. On 20 March 2009 Jones cleared 1.81 m in Bridgetown; , this remains the age 13 world best. 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. 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. 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.

Jones set a national youth and junior record in the women's long jump, 6.18 m, at the 2011 Barbadian CARIFTA Trials. 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). She was selected for her first global meet, the 2011 World Youth Championships in Lille, as a long jumper; jumping 6.10 m in the qualification and 6.04 m in the final, she placed sixth. She competed in the long jump at the 2012 World Junior Championships in Barcelona, but was eliminated in the qualification.

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. 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.

2014

Jones set a Barbadian indoor record in women's pentathlon, 4194 points, in Wichita on 31 January 2014. 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. 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.

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. 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.

2015

Jones transferred from Oklahoma Baptist to Kansas State University for the 2014–15 season. 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. At the NCAA indoor championships she placed fourth in the high jump and sixth in the long jump. At the Big 12 outdoor championships she placed second in three events – the 100 m hurdles, high jump and long jump. 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. and did not make the finals for the high jump. She was chosen to serve as flag bearer for Barbados in the Olympic closing ceremonies.

Personal bests

Outdoor 100 metres hurdles – 12.94 (2016) High jump – 1.95 m (2016) Shot put – 14.85 m (2015) 200 metres – 23.28 (2016) Long jump – 6.75 m (2016) Javelin throw – 42.00 m (2016) 800 metres – 2:21.62 (2015) Heptathlon – 6371 pts (2015)

Indoor 60 metres hurdles – 8.00 (2016) High jump – 1.98 m (2016) Shot put – 14.16m (2014) Long jump – 6.80 m (2016) 800 metres – 2:25.63 (2016) Pentathlon – 4643 pts (2016)

Other bests 100 metres – 11.64(2015)