Nia Akins

Nia Akins
Akins at the 2023 World Athletics Championships
Personal information
NationalityAmerican
Born (1998-07-07) July 7, 1998
Sport
SportAthletics
Event800m
Achievements and titles
Personal best(s)800m: (1:57.36 Eugene, Oregon, 2024)
Medal record
Women's athletics
Representing  United States
NACAC Championships
Gold medal – first place 2025 Freeport 800 m

Nia Akins (born July 7, 1998) is an American track and field athlete. In 2023, she became the United States National Champion over 800m; both indoors and outdoors. She retained her outdoors title in 2024 and regained the indoors title in 2025.[1]

Early life

From San Diego, the daughter of Nicol Hodges and Marlon Akins, she attended Rancho Bernardo High School before attending the University of Pennsylvania in 2016.[2][3] On May 18, 2020, she graduated from the University of Pennsylvania's School of Nursing.[4]

Career

Competing at a collegiate level, she was a two-time NCAA 800m runner-up. At the 2019 NACAC U23 Championships, she won a silver medal in the 800m in Queretaro, Mexico.[5]

Akins was the only runner to turn pro in 2020, having run the second-fastest 800m time in NCAA history of 2:00.71 at the Boston Invitational.[6] She moved to Seattle to train under Danny Mackey with the Brooks Beasts Track Club, alongside athletes such as Olympic medalist Josh Kerr, and Allie Ostrander.[7]

In July 2022, she ran a new personal best time of 1:58.78 in Memphis, Tennessee.[8]

In February 2023, Akins won the US national indoor 800m title, in Albuquerque, New Mexico.[9] She started her 2023 outdoor season with victories at both of her outdoor 800m races, running a 1:59.37 at the Portland Track Festival and then a 1:59.76 in Portland on June 24, 2023.[10]

Competing at the 2023 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships, in Eugene, Oregon, she reached the final of the 800m competition as the fastest qualifier and won the final ahead of Raevyn Rogers.[11] She was selected for the 2023 World Athletics Championships in Budapest in August 2023.[12] She ran a new personal best in the final, running 1:57.73 in finishing sixth.[13] She also made her Diamond League debut in August 2023, finishing fourth in the 800 metres in Zürich.[14]

Akins won the 800m at the US Olympic Trials in Eugene, Oregon, on June 24, 2024.[15] She competed in the 800 metres at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris in August 2024, reaching the semi-finals.[16]

She won the 800 metres title at the 2025 USA Indoor Track and Field Championships.[17] She was selected for the 2025 World Athletics Indoor Championships in Nanjing in March 2025, where she qualified for the semi-finals.[18][19] She fell after only 100 metres of her semi-final, but kept running and almost qualified for the final, finishing just 0.18 seconds short.[20]

In May 2025, she was named as a challenger for the short distance category at the 2025 Grand Slam Track event in Philadelphia.[21] She reached the final of the 800 metres at the 2025 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships, winning her semi-final in 1:58.09.[22] She was leading until the last 100 metres in the final, running 1:59.52 to finish fourth.[23][24] She won the gold medal in the 800 metres competing for the United States at the 2025 NACAC Championships in Freeport, The Bahamas.[25] [26]

Statistics

International competitions

Representing the  United States
Year Competition Venue Position Event Time
2023 World Athletics Championships Budapest, Hungary 6th 800 m 1:57.73
2024 Olympic Games Paris, France 10th (sf) 800 m 1:58.20
2025 World Indoor Championships Nanjing, China 9th (sf) 800 m 2:04.38
NACAC Championships Freeport, The Bahamas 1st 800m 1:59.75

National championships

Year Competition Venue Position Event Time
2019 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships Des Moines, Iowa 7th 800m 2:04.39
2021 Olympic Trials Eugene, Oregon 9th 800m 2:12.87
2022 USA Indoor Track and Field Championships Spokane, Washington 7th 800m 2:05.88
USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships Eugene, Oregon 11th 800m 2:01.90
2023 USA Indoor Track and Field Championships Albuquerque, New Mexico 1st 800m 2:00.16
USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships Eugene, Oregon 1st 800m 1:59.50
2024 USA Indoor Track and Field Championships Albuquerque, New Mexico 3rd 800m 2:00.90
USA Olympic Trials Eugene, Oregon 1st 800m 1:57.36
2025 USATF Indoor Championships New York City, New York 1st 800m 1:59.31
USATF Outdoor Championships Eugene, Oregon 4th 800m 1:59.52

Circuit performances

Grand Slam Track results[27]
Slam Race group Event Pl. Time Prize money
2025 Philadelphia Slam Short distance 1500 m 8th DNF US$10,000
800 m 2:13.07

Personal life

Akins is also a musician who records her own music.[28]

References

  1. ^ "Nia Akins". World Athletics. Retrieved July 7, 2023.
  2. ^ "Nia Akins". Pennathletics.com. Retrieved July 7, 2023.
  3. ^ Monahan, Terry (June 27, 2019). "RB grad making strides on track, in nursing". San Diego Union Tribune. Retrieved July 6, 2023.
  4. ^ "I'm an All-American Runner and Ivy League Grad. I Still Can't Escape Racism". Runners World. June 11, 2020. Retrieved July 7, 2023.
  5. ^ "Akins Earns Silver in 800 at NACAC U23 Championships". Pennathletics. July 6, 2019. Retrieved July 7, 2023.
  6. ^ "Nia Akins runs second-fastest 800m in NCAA history". Penntoday. February 16, 2020. Retrieved July 7, 2023.
  7. ^ Xu, Kathryn (July 4, 2020). "After joining a professional track team, Nia Akins adjusts to life in Seattle". thedp.com. Retrieved July 7, 2023.
  8. ^ "2022 Ed Murphey Classic Results – Final American Track League Meet Results". Lets Run. July 30, 2022. Retrieved July 7, 2023.
  9. ^ "Sam Prakel Completes the Double*, Nikki Hiltz, Nia Akins Get First USATF Track Titles". Lets Run. February 19, 2023. Retrieved June 7, 2023.
  10. ^ Gault, Jonathan (June 30, 2023). "2023 USAs W800/1500 Preview: Will Sinclaire Johnson Repeat & How Does Athing Mu Do in the 1500?". Lets Run. Retrieved July 7, 2023.
  11. ^ "Women's 800m Results: USATF Outdoor Championships 2023". Watch Athletics. July 7, 2023. Retrieved July 8, 2023.
  12. ^ Gault, Jonathan (August 7, 2023). "USATF Announces 2023 World Championship Roster". letsrun.com. Retrieved August 8, 2023.
  13. ^ "Women's 800m Results: World Athletics Championships 2023". World Athletics. August 23, 2023. Retrieved August 23, 2023.
  14. ^ "Women's 800m Results: Weltklasse Zurich Diamond League 2023". Watch Athletics. August 31, 2023. Retrieved September 1, 2023.
  15. ^ "Olympic champion Mu falls in US trials & will miss Paris". BBC Sport. Retrieved June 25, 2024.
  16. ^ "Women's 800m Results - Paris Olympic Games 2024 Athletics". Watch Athletics. August 5, 2024. Retrieved September 8, 2024.
  17. ^ Jampol, Noah (February 23, 2025). "Nikki Hiltz Completes 1500/3000 Sweep, Resurgent Nia Akins Wins 800". Lets Run. Retrieved February 24, 2025.
  18. ^ Hall, Dan (March 14, 2025). "USATF Announces 56 Athletes For Team USA At 2025 World Indoor Championships". Flotrack. Retrieved March 14, 2025.
  19. ^ "2025 World Indoors Day 1 AM: Nia Akins & Josh Hoey Look Great in a Good Session for Americans". Lets Run. March 21, 2025. Retrieved March 21, 2025.
  20. ^ Gault, Jonathan (March 22, 2025). "2025 World Indoors Day 2 AM: Hoey, Miller to 800m Final; Akins Almost Qualifies Despite Fall". Lets Run. Retrieved March 22, 2025.
  21. ^ Chavez, Chris (May 23, 2025). "Grand Slam Track Announces Full Athletes Field For Philadelphia: Full Racers, Challengers Competing". Citiusmag.com. Retrieved May 28, 2025.
  22. ^ Monti, David (August 2, 2025). "Quick 800m Semi-Finals At Toyota USATF Championships - RRW". Runnerspace. Retrieved August 2, 2025.
  23. ^ Johnson, Weldon (August 4, 2025). "Roisin Willis arrives, Houlihan returns, a brutal weekend for front-runners – Sunday at USATF Championships". Lets Run. Retrieved August 4, 2025.
  24. ^ Thompson III, Marcus (August 4, 2025). "Melissa Jefferson-Wooden, with 100/200 double, emerges as next U.S. sprint star". New York Times. Retrieved August 4, 2025.
  25. ^ Boal, Erik (August 16, 2025). "JANEE' KASSANAVOID REPEATS IN HAMMER TO HELP U.S. WIN SEVEN NACAC GOLDS, HANDAL ROBAN ROLLS IN 800". Youth Runner. Retrieved August 17, 2025.
  26. ^ "NACAC Championships". World Athletics. August 16, 2025. Retrieved August 17, 2025.
  27. ^ "Grand Slam Track Results". Grand Slam Track. Retrieved April 5, 2025.
  28. ^ Iorio Adelson, Karen (January 18, 2022). "Everything Pro Runner Nia Akins Wears on the Run". nymag.com. Retrieved July 6, 2023.
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