FROM DOHA TO DUBAI, ALIA ATKINSON RULES
Written by Oshae Hudson September 1, 2014
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Some fans have already touted her to challenge for the 2014, Jamaica Sportswoman of the Year Award, after her season’s exploits thus far, nevertheless swim sensation Alia Atkinson continue to show the world what she is made of. This after another brilliant performance at the second meet in the FINA/Mastbank World Cup Series, held over the weekend at the Hamdan Sports Complex in Dubai.
The two day meet, which started on August 31, 2014, saw Atkinson taking charge of the 50m and 100 breaststroke events, in a repeat of what she did in the opening meet in the FINA series in Doha .
The South Florida Aquatic Club swimmer from Jamaica won the 100-meter breaststroke in 1:03.26 and pocketed $1,500 on the events opening night. Atkinson, the top-seed in the event, turned back the challenge of Americans Breeja Larson in 1:04.85 and Laura Sogar in 1:06.93.
Atkinson was also sixth in the 200-meter individual medley in 2:11.54, an event in which Hungary Katinka Hosszu broke her own world record.
“It wasn’t a bad swim tonight,” said her longtime SOFLO coach Chris Anderson. “It was a race to get in better shape.
Atkinson returned on Monday September 1, where she wrapped up the 50-meter breaststroke in a time in 29.12 seconds. Atkinson, with a reaction time of 0.65 saw her points total climb to 967 for the series.
Atkinson added a silver medal in the 100-meter individual medley in 58.26 with a reaction time of 0.65. Series points leader Hosszu clocked 57.75s to win the event, while Caitlin Leverenz of the USA was third in 59.86s.
She came up fourth in the 50-meter butterfly, in a time of 26.63s.
Atkinson is fourth on the prize money and points list with $4,500 and 54 points for the series opening cluster.Atkinson returns home with a nice paycheck for less than a week’s worth of work. She won $4,500 in Dubai and earned $37,000 in prize money ($30,000 in cluster bonuses).
Atkinson is third in performance bonus points with 967.
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