Janelle Atkinson
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Janelle Anya Monique Atkinson-McClave | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| National team |  Jamaica | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 30 September 1982 Saint Andrew, Surrey, Jamaica | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 5 ft 6 in (1.68 m) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 146 lb (66 kg) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | Swimming | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Strokes | Freestyle | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Club | Gator Swim Club (USA) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| College team | University of Florida (U.S.) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Janelle Anya Monique Atkinson-McClave (born 30 September 1982), née Janelle Anya Monique Atkinson, is a Jamaican former competitive swimmer who won three silver medals at the 1999 Pan American Games. At the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, she became the first Jamaican swimmer to finish in the top four of any swimming event at an Olympic Games, placing fourth in the 400-metre freestyle.
Early years
[edit]Atkinson was born in Saint Andrew, Surrey, Jamaica in 1982.
International career
[edit]At the 1999 Pan American Games in WinnipegManitoba, Atkinson was a three-time silver medalist, finishing third in each of the 200-, 400- and 800-metre freestyle events. Atkinson represented Jamaica at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia, where she finished fourth in the 400-metre freestyle and ninth in the 800-metre freestyle.[1] She was the first Jamaican swimmer to finish in the top four at an Olympic Games.[2] Atkinson won a pair of bronze medals in the 400-metre freestyle and 800-metre freestyle at the 2002 Commonwealth Games held in Manchester, England. She also competed in the 200-metre freestyle and 400-metre freestyle for the Jamaican team at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece.[1] She was named Jamaica's Swimmer of the Year seven consecutive times from 1997 to 2003. Contrary to popular belief, Janelle is not related to Alia Atkinson who coincidentally is also a Jamaican swimmer.
College career
[edit]She attended the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida, where she swam for coach Gregg Troy's Florida Gators swimming and diving team in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) competition from 2001 to 2004.[3] As a Gator swimmer, Atkinson won three Southeastern Conference (SEC) championships (twice in the 500-yard freestyle and once in the 1,650-yard freestyle), and received ten All-American honors.[3] She graduated from Florida with a bachelor's degree in tourism and hospitality management in 2005.[4]
Coaching
[edit]In 2014, Atkinson became the head coach of Swimming and Diving at Fairfield University. Before going to Fairfield, she was an assistant swimming coach for the UConn Huskies women's swimming and diving team at the University of Connecticut in Storrs, Connecticut.[4] For the four years prior to accepting the UConn job, she served as an assistant swimming coach at Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio.[4] She also served as the head coach of the Jamaican women's national team at the 2009 World Aquatics Championships.[4]
In 2017, Atkinson was named the head coach of the Stony Brook University swimming and diving team.[5] Atkinson was fired from the program less than a year later after allegations of abusive behavior towards her swimmers.[6] Atkinson, in turn, sued the university for gender and racial discrimination.[7] The university settled, not clearing Atkinson of the abuse allegations and "expressly denied any wrongdoing."[8]
See also
[edit]
- List of Commonwealth Games medallists in swimming (women)
- List of Jamaican records in swimming
- List of University of Florida alumni
- List of University of Florida Olympians
References
[edit]- ^ a b Sports-Reference.com, Olympic Sports, Janelle Atkinson Archived 2009-01-23 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 13 April 2012.
- ^ Berg, Aimee (20 November 2018). "Alia Atkinson: Jamaica's Tour de Force". FINA. Retrieved 16 July 2021.
- ^ a b Florida Swimming & Diving 2011–12 Media Supplement Archived 2013-05-21 at the Wayback Machine, University Athletic Association, Gainesville, Florida, pp. 62, 63, 75–76, 79 (2011). Retrieved 13 April 2012.
- ^ a b c d UConnHuskies.com, Women's Swimming & Diving, Coaches, Janelle Atkinson-Wignall Archived 2012-06-12 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 18 July 2011.
- ^ "Seawolves name Janelle Atkinson as head women's swimming & diving coach". Stony Brook University Athletics. Retrieved 2019-10-26.
- ^ "Stony Brook University Coaches Dismissed After Athletes Allege Abuse". SwimSwam. 2018-01-26. Retrieved 2019-10-26.
- ^ "Olympian Janelle Atkinson-Wignall Suing Stony Brook over Firing". 8 January 2020.
- ^ "Stony Brook reaches settlement with former swim coach in discrimination lawsuit".
External links
[edit]- Janelle Atkinson – University of Florid athlete profile at GatorZone.com
- 1982 births
- Living people
- Jamaican female swimmers
- Jamaican female freestyle swimmers
- Florida Gators women's swimmers
- Expatriate swimmers in the United States
- Jamaican swimming coaches
- Olympic swimmers for Jamaica
- Pan American Games silver medalists for Jamaica
- Commonwealth Games bronze medallists for Jamaica
- People from Saint Andrew Parish, Jamaica
- Stony Brook Seawolves swimming coaches
- Swimmers at the 1999 Pan American Games
- Swimmers at the 2000 Summer Olympics
- Swimmers at the 2002 Commonwealth Games
- Swimmers at the 2003 Pan American Games
- Swimmers at the 2004 Summer Olympics
- Wright State Raiders swimming coaches
- Commonwealth Games medallists in swimming
- Pan American Games medalists in swimming
- UConn Huskies swimming coaches
- Fairfield Stags swimming coaches
- Medalists at the 1999 Pan American Games
- Medallists at the 2002 Commonwealth Games