Alia picks Tracey for Sportswoman of the Year
Not surprisingly, after another good year in the pool Jamaica’s swimming sensation Alia Atkinson has been nominated for Sportswoman of the Year yet again.
Atkinson has been the country’s top female swimmer for more than a decade and has been nominated for the award on numerous occasions, copping the title in 2014. In that year she became the third female swimmer to do so and this time around, with just a pool of three to choose from, many see the 29-year-old as odds-on favourite to win and become the first female outside of track and field to do so twice.
“We are still in the nomination phase so I will enjoy that, but for the most part I know I did fantastic in 2014; I know I did something to have merited the award. For this year I tried my best, I was getting back in shape because my main goal is 2018 Commonwealth Games.”
Admittedly not at her best this year due to illness and injury, Atkinson believes the other nominees also had a very good year.
“I took a break at the beginning of the year, that is why I didn’t go to the World Championships — because I wouldn’t have been at my best and I want to be at my best if I am going to a major championship. But considering that, the other girls did fantastic as well,” she stated.
Atkinson also praised the powers that be for nominating athletes outside of the dominant track and field, in what was a major year for the sport.
“It’s great to see another, myself and Chris Binnie, who have been nominated outside of track and field in a World Championships year, so that party is pretty cool — and I respect the fact that they are looking at other sports,” she opined.
According to her, the race for Sportswoman of the Year will be a keen one.
“This year has been a challenging year for many other athletes and it’s anybody’s game.
“My World Cup is equivalent to Diamond League, which numerous of them have done and succeeded in — I did not go to ‘Worlds’. World Championships medal would have gone over any World Cup and Diamond League medal.
“I think I could have done better because this was actually my worst World Cup season to date, so in my mind I could have always done better. I have been told that I am very, very hard on myself so I may not see things the way other people do,” she admitted.
“Last World Cup I was on the world record almost every single swim and I was right in it every single time, whereas in the 100 I was within 0.5 of the record; I was getting better every single time. I was on the world record and I was at my best and attacking it every single time and to me that’s phenomenal, because my trainer says anybody can do it once out of luck but it is who can do it twice, and that really sucks because last year I had the world record twice and I had the 50m. It’s hard to compete when you know what came from last year,” Atkinson lamented.
“This year I had the break, I actually came back a little quicker than I thought I would. It started out really well, so I was right on the world record pace, and then with different things, health things and then the injury that happened later on in World Cup, it was hard to push on.”
Shockingly, the 2014 winner suggested that one of her rivals should receive the award for 2017.
“I think Ristananna (Tracey) should get the award,” she admitted. “It would have taken a lot of mental strength for her to go out there and perform each round and do a personal best each time. So many of her teammates were getting ill each day of the championships and she was able to block that out and win a bronze medal. For me, that was the performance of the championships. It would have taken a lot out of her mentally, physically and emotionally to win that medal; I think she and Omar (McLeod) were fantastic.”
Based on the challenges she has faced during 2017, the Texas A&M graduate has pinpointed the Commonwealth Games in Australia as he next “big -ticket item”.
“I am looking forward to being better than I was at previous Commonwealth Games. I know I had the golds in mind in numerous events, so I am trying to see if I can get it this time around.”
The competition will be a lot different from what she is used to on a regular basis at those games, but the World Championships gold medallist will be taking nothing for granted.
“Everyone from lane one to eight is a competitor. People earn their spot, you don’t know what they can do on the day.”
With the illusive Olympic medal still in the back of her mind, one can expect Atkinson to lead a full on assault on the Commonwealth Games medals come next April.
— Dwayne Richards