Maria Helene Henriksson Akraka (born July 7, 1966) is a Swedish retired entrepreneur, television host and former athlete.
 Maria Akraka representing Intersport | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Maria Helene Henriksson Akraka | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 7 July 1966 London, England | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.70 m (5 ft 7 in) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 55 kg (121 lb) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Country |  Sweden | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | Athletics | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| College team | Iowa State | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Club | Rånäs 4H | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Retired | 2000 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
College career
editAkraka 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.[1]
In 2010 she was inducted into the Iowa State Cyclones Hall of Fame.[2]
International career
editAkraka competed in four European Championships,[3] three World Championships, and the 1992 Olympic Games in both the 1,500 m and 800 m races.[4]
Post-athletics career
editAkraka 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[5][6] and also covered various sports competitions such as the Olympics and DN Galan.[7]
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.[8]
Currently she serves as an advisory for sporting goods retailer, Intersport[9] and the founder/CEO of Sportcore, a career agency for former professional athletes.
Personal bests
edit| 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, USA | |
| Reference: | |||||
Personal life
editAkraka is married to former triple jumper Tord Henriksson and they have two children.[10]
Akraka was born in London to a Swedish mother and a Nigerian father.[11] 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.[12] She has a twin brother, Michael.[1]
References
edit- ^ a b "Black History Month: Maria Akraka - Iowa State University". Iowa State University. Retrieved 24 January 2018.
- ^ "Iowa State Athletics". cyclones.com. Retrieved 24 January 2018.
- ^ NORWOOD, ROBYN (2 October 1990). "In the Long Run, Swedish Track Star Competes to Stay in Shape : Cross-country: For Maria Akraka, running with UC Irvine's team is preparing her for spring and a shot at an NCAA title at 800 meters". Los Angeles Times. ISSN 0458-3035. Retrieved 24 January 2018.
- ^ "Maria AKRAKA - Olympic Athletics | Sweden". International Olympic Committee. 14 June 2016. Retrieved 24 January 2018.
- ^ "Sunneborn i sportsåpa i SVT | Gotland.net". Archived from the original on 23 August 2010. Retrieved 8 June 2010.
- ^ "SVT Malmö satsar på extremsport - Kultur & Nöjen - Sydsvenskan - Nyheter dygnet runt". Archived from the original on 5 October 2011. Retrieved 8 June 2010.
- ^ "Hd.se - Maria Akraka "Jag saknar inte träningsslitet"". Archived from the original on 30 September 2007. Retrieved 5 July 2007.
- ^ "Mountain Horse's Stjärnor till Globen - Plyhm Kommunikation". Plyhm Kommunikation (in Swedish). 22 November 2010. Retrieved 24 January 2018.
- ^ "Maria Akraka ska locka kvinnor till Intersport - Market". Archived from the original on 29 October 2013. Retrieved 8 June 2010.
- ^ "Paret som kommer igen". Göteborgs-Posten (in Swedish). Retrieved 24 January 2018.
- ^ "Maria Akraka". Discogs. Retrieved 24 January 2018.
- ^ "AFN mourn Smart Akraka, Stephen Keshi | MAKING OF CHAMPIONS". MAKING OF CHAMPIONS. 9 June 2016. Retrieved 24 January 2018.
