In Her Words: Alia Atkinson
the All-American and newly-crowned world champion looks back at her remarkable accomplishment as well as her time in Aggieland
Many people have seen the shocked look on your face after your win at the FINA Short Course World Championships. Please explain what you were feeling after you saw the scoreboard...
It was complete shock. I was hoping that I had given enough and got my hands on the wall first, but in swimming that isn't always the case. To finally have everything come together for me was a remarkable feeling, and one that I will never forget.
As the first Jamaican swimming world champion, as well as the first Texas A&M world champion, has the enormity of the accomplishment hit you completely?
It is one of those feelings that arise every time I watch the race, hear peoples' responses about the race, even every time someone says my name in the same sentence as World Champion. The enormity has not hit me at all. I think I will feel the reverence of this accomplishment when I arrive in Jamaica, considering swimming is a sport not many Jamaicans do.
You have been to three Olympic Games (2004, 2008 and 2012)…what are some of your favorite memories?
2004, I was young so my favorite memory was seeing all the great athletes – the Williams sisters, Yao Ming, etc., and thinking, ‘one day I can be as good as them.’ ... 2008, Enjoying the Chinese culture and experiencing a different view on sports and the Olympics itself. I learned a lot from the athletes that I use even today ... 2012, Reaching the finals in the 100-meter breaststroke. It was my first time in an Olympic Final and I remember thinking, ‘this is it, I made it, that dream long ago, that one day,’ was here.
What are your future goals? 2016 in Rio?
My future goals are Worlds in Kazan, Russia, as well as the Pan American Games, and, of course, the Olympics the following year.
How much fun has it been to watch the Aggie swim team continue to improve since your days at Texas A&M?
This team has amazed me beyond the 2010 seniors’ wildest dreams. We hoped the next generation of Aggies would sustain what we left (being the first class to have NCAA champions) but they did that and more. The team is astounding and it all comes from the hard work ethic of the coaches and the swimmers, and the support of the school.
Favorite Steve Bultman memory?
The phone calls...If you're an Aggie swimming girl, you know what I am talking about. The phone calls are my best and fondest memory. They still make me laugh.
What brought you to Texas A&M?
The Aggie girls and Coach Steve Bultman. Before I signed, I imagined seeing all the coaches on the pool deck from the teams that I visited and Steve would be the only coach I would feel bad not saying 'Hi' to. He is just such a nice, polite coach and person.
What was your experience like once you got here?
It was a warm atmosphere. The girls accepted me instantly and it was a little home away from home. The sports games were a different experience all together, THE 12TH MAN spirit goes a long way.
What was your favorite memory while you were at A&M?
Jumping in the fountain. That is my favorite tradition as well.
How has your time at A&M shaped you as a person?
A&M helped me become more of a leader, in the classroom, my life and on the swim team.
How is it to look back on your time at A&M as a female athlete, and seeing the progress of where it's at today?
The program is in a fantastic place right now. They are consistently getting stronger individually and as a team. I am elated over the progress the girls have made and I loved that they did it, keeping the same values and traditions that I enjoyed as part of the Fighting Texas Aggies Class of 2010. WHOOP.