Harry Aikines-Aryeetey

Harry Aikines-Aryeetey

Harry Aikines-Aryeetey at the Sainsbury's Anniversary Games in 2013
Personal information
Nationality	United Kingdom
Born	29 August 1988 Carshalton, Sutton, England
Height	1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)
Weight	87 kg (13 st 10 lb)
Sport
Sport	Sprinting
Achievements and titles
Personal best(s)	100m: 10.08 200m: 20.46
Medal record Men's Athletics Representing  Great Britain World Championships 2009 Berlin 4×100 m relay European Championships 2014 Zürich 4 x 100 m relay 2014 Zürich 100 m World Relays 2014 Nassau 4×100 m relay Representing  England Commonwealth Games 2014 Glasgow 4x100 m relay

Harry Leslie Aikines-Aryeetey (born 29 August 1988) is an English sprinter. A prodigious junior runner, in 2005 he was named as the BBC Young Sports Personality of the Year and the IAAF's Rising Star of the Year after becoming the first athlete to win gold medals at both 100 metres and 200 metres at the World Youth Championships.^[1]

A relay medalist as a senior for Great Britain at the 2009 World Championships, the 2014 IAAF World Relays and, representing England, at the 2014 Commonwealth Games, Aikines-Aryeetey won his first senior individual medal, a bronze, in the 100 metres at the 2014 European Athletics Championships. At the same championships he earned his first senior title as part of the Great Britain team that won gold in the men's 4 x 100 metres relay.

Career

Aikines-Aryeetey was born in Carshalton, London to Ghanaian parents. He studied at Greenshaw High School in Sutton, London from 2000–2006.

His first major tournament medal came at the 2004 Commonwealth Youth Games where he won the silver medal in the 100 m.^[2]

On 11 June 2006, aged 17, he competed in the 100 m at Gateshead in which Asafa Powell equalled the world record of 9.77 s. On 16 August 2006, he won the gold in the 100 m at the 2006 World Junior Championships in Athletics, held in Beijing, China, setting a season's best 10.37 s.

He was advised not to run in 2007 due to minor fractures in the spine that could affect later development. After an eleven-month recuperation period,^[3] he returned to action in 2008 with a 60 metres personal best of 6.59 s in France to signal a return to form.

Aikines-Aryeetey was selected for Team GB at the 2009 World Championships in Athletics. As part of the men's 4 x 100 m relay team with Simeon Williamson, Tyrone Edgar and Marlon Devonish, he took bronze in Berlin with a season's best of 38.02 seconds. In 2009 Harry became a Lucozade Sport Ambassador.

During the 2010 IAAF World Indoor Championships, Aikines-Aryeetey had to pull out of his semi-final after qualifying third in his first-round heat due to injury. He then returned in August but was not up to full fitness and then took months to regain it for the 2011 season. In the 2011 indoor season, Aikines-Aryeetey returned to some kind of form, finishing second in the UK indoor championships and European Trials. After having qualified, he again was restrained in his heat by injury running 6.94. However, he ran a 200m personal best of 20.46 in La Chaux-de-Fonds in Switzerland in July. He went on to win the UK championships in Birmingham and qualified for the IAAF World Championships in Daegu with a time of 10.14.

Aikines-Aryeetey won his first senior individual medal in the final of the 2014 European Championships in Zurich where he finished third in a time of 10.22 seconds.

Personal bests

Event	Best	Location	Date
60 metres	6.55 s	Birmingham, United Kingdom	13 February 2010
100 metres	10.08 s	Birmingham, United Kingdom	13 July 2013
200 metres	20.46 s	La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland	3 July 2011

References

1. Historic Double for Harry Aikines Aryeetey highlight of last day of the IAAF/Maroc Telecom World Youth Championships. IAAF (17 July 2005). Retrieved on 22 February 2009.
2. A rising star. BBC Sport (30 January 2006). Retrieved on 22 February 2009.
3. Britain's sprinting star. The Guardian (10 January 2009). Retrieved on 22 February 2009.

External links

• Harry Aikines-Aryeetey profile at IAAF
• Harry Aikines-Aryeetey on Twitter
  
• Harry AA is back with a bang
• Atos Origin Sponsorship Page