Maria Akraka

Maria Helene Henriksson Akraka (born July 7, 1966) is a Swedish retired entrepreneur, television host and former athlete.

College career Akraka competed as an athlete in both cross country and track & field for Iowa State in the United States. She finished her career a four-time All-American and a two-time Big Eight champion. She also competed for the UC Irvine Anteaters track and field team.

International career Akraka competed in four European Championships, three World Championships, and the 1992 Olympic Games in both the 1,500 m and 800 m races.

Post-athletics career Akraka worked previously as a host of betting company ATG's channel, Channel 75, where she interviewed Horse racing jockeys. She also worked for TV4 covering horse racing. In 2006, she started working for SVT, hosting extreme sports game show Megadrom and also covered various sports competitions such as the Olympics and DN Galan.

In 2009, she and her husband bought an estate with an equestrian training stable in 2009. She now spends much of her time training race horses.

Currently she serves as an advisory for sporting goods retailer, Intersport and the founder/CEO of Sportcore, a career agency for former professional athletes.

Personal bests Surface Event Time Date Place Outdoor 400 m 54:50 20 August 1988 Malmö, Sweden 800 m 2:00:58 8 August 1991 Lahti, Finland 1,000 m 2:38:30 25 July 1995 Monaco 1,500 m 4:08:63 19 August 1994 Brussels, Belgium 1 mile 4:32:04 10 September 1993 London, England 2,000 m 5:47:76 4 September 1994 Sheffield, England 3,000 m 9:04:35 28 August 1994 Stockholm, Sweden Indoor 800 m 2:00:01NR 19 February 1998 Stockholm, Sweden 1,500 m 4:07:74 18 February 1992 Genoa, Italy Road 1 mile 4:29.0h 1 February 1998 Santee, CA, USAReference:

Personal life Akraka is married to former triple jumper Tord Henriksson and they have two children.

Akraka was born in London to a Swedish mother and a Nigerian father. The family moved to Sweden but her parents separated and her father moved back to Nigeria. She was raised by her mother in Rågsved outside Stockholm. Her father Smart Akraka is a former track and field athlete who competed in the 1960 Olympic Games in Rome. She has a twin brother, Michael.