Derrick Atkins (born 5 January 1984) is a Bahamian sprinter. Atkins specializes in the

100 metres The 100 metres, or 100-meter dash, is a sprint race in track and field competitions. The shortest common outdoor running distance, the dash is one of the most popular and prestigious events in the sport of athletics. It has been conteste ...

event and also holds the national record, with a time of 9.91 seconds. He is the second cousin of former world record holder

Asafa Powell Asafa Powell, CD (born 23 November 1982) is a retired Jamaican sprinter who specialised in the 100 metres. He set the 100 metres world record twice, between June 2005 and May 2008 with times of 9.77 and 9.74 seconds. Powell has consiste ...

. Atkins is now a head coach for the women's Track and field team at

Utah Tech University Utah Tech University (UT), formerly known as Dixie State University (DSU) and similar names, is a public university in St. George, Utah. The university offers about 240 programs (4 master's degrees, 53 bachelor's degrees, 18 associate degrees, 45 ...

, formerly known as Dixie State University.

University

While attending

Dickinson State University Dickinson State University (DSU) is a public university in Dickinson, North Dakota. It is part of the North Dakota University System. It was founded in 1918 as Dickinson State Normal School and granted full university status in 1987. History Di ...

Dickinson, North Dakota Dickinson is a city in and the county seat of Stark County, North Dakota, United States. The population was 25,679 at the 2020 census. Dickinson is home to the Ukrainian Cultural Institute, which has a museum and holds events year round for the ...

, Atkins was a 3 time

National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) established in 1940, is a college athletics association for colleges and universities in North America. Most colleges and universities in the NAIA offer athletic scholarships to its stu ...

(NAIA) national champion in the 100 meter dash, 2 times national champion in the 200 meter dash and also 2 times national champion in the 55m meter dash indoor. He helped lead those DSU track teams to back-to-back national team titles. He was also inducted into the

(NAIA) Hall of fame in Track and field 2013 class.

Career

2005

Atkins participated at the 2005 World Championships but failed to progress past the first round. With the Bahamian

4 x 100 metres relay 4 (four) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number following 3 and preceding 5. It is the smallest semiprime and composite number, and is considered unlucky in many East Asian cultures. In mathematics Four is the smallest c ...

team he finished fourth at the

2003 Central American and Caribbean Championships The 2003 Central American and Caribbean Championships in athletics were held in St George's, Grenada, between 4–6 July 2003. It was the first time that the country had hosted the competition.Clavelo Robinson, Javier (2003-07-04) CAC Champion ...

and won a bronze medal at the 2005 Central American and Caribbean Championships.

2006

At the 2006 Central American and Caribbean Games, Atkins won the silver medal, having established a national record of 10.08 seconds during the heats.

2007

On 28 April 2007 in

Berkeley, California Berkeley ( ) is a city on the eastern shore of San Francisco Bay in northern Alameda County, California, United States. It is named after the 18th-century Irish bishop and philosopher George Berkeley. It borders the cities of Oakland and Emer ...

, Atkins again lowered the national record, to 9.98 seconds. He also ran 9.86 s and 9.83 s, though with tail winds of 2.3 and 2.4 m/s. On 26 August 2007 at the 2007 World Championships, Atkins came second with a national record time of 9.91s (wind speed -0.5 m/s). The event was won by

Tyson Gay Tyson Gay (born August 9, 1982) is an American track and field sprinter who competes in the 100 and 200 meters. His 100 m personal best of 9.69 seconds is the American record and makes him tied for the second fastest athlete over 100 m ...

who ran 9.85 s. Atkins beat the world record holder and favorite for the event,

who ran 9.96 seconds.

2008

Atkins represented the Bahamas at the

2008 Summer Olympics The 2008 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXIX Olympiad () and also known as Beijing 2008 (), were an international multisport event held from 8 to 24 August 2008, in Beijing, China. A total of 10,942 athletes from 204 Na ...

Beijing } Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...

where he competed at the 100 metres sprint and placed 1st in his heat in a time of 10.28 seconds in front of Andrey Yepishin and

Jaysuma Saidy Ndure Jaysuma Saidy Ndure (born 1 January 1984) is a Gambian-Norwegian sprinter. He is of Serer heritage of the noble Ndure family. In 2002, he went to Oslo, aged 18 and settled with his father who has lived in Norway since the 1970s. Having changed ...

. In the second round he improved his time to 10.14 seconds, finishing third in his heat behind

and

Walter Dix Walter Dix (born January 31, 1986) is a retired American sprinter who specialized in the 100 meters and 200 meters. He is the sixth-fastest 200-meter runner ever with a best of 19.53 seconds, and has broken the 10-second barrier in the 100 ...

, qualifying for the semi finals. There a 10.13 seconds race was unable to bring him in the final, finishing in sixth place of his semi final.

2012

Atkins represented the Bahamas at the

2012 Summer Olympics The 2012 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012) was an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, the ...

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

where he competed at the 100 metres sprint and placed 4th in his semi finals in a time of 10.08.

2013

Derrick Atkins was inducted in the

NAIA Hall of fame, His College career includes 3 Team National Track and field Championships, 7 time individual National champion, 15 National NAIA All-American Honors, 9 times DAC-10 All Conference Honors and

Male Athlete of the year.

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Atkins, Derrick 1984 births Living people Bahamian male sprinters Dickinson State University alumni Athletes (track and field) at the 2003 Pan American Games Athletes (track and field) at the 2008 Summer Olympics Athletes (track and field) at the 2012 Summer Olympics Olympic athletes of the Bahamas Pan American Games competitors for the Bahamas World Athletics Championships medalists Jamaican emigrants to the Bahamas Central American and Caribbean Games silver medalists for the Bahamas Competitors at the 2006 Central American and Caribbean Games Central American and Caribbean Games medalists in athletics Sportspeople from Nassau, Bahamas Bahamian people of Jamaican descent