Akeem Haynes

Biography

As the lead-off runner, Akeem Haynes helped Canada break a 20-year-old national record to win bronze in the 4x100m relay at Rio 2016. That success came four years after he had placed fourth in the 100m at the 2012 Canadian Championships, earning him a spot on the relay team for London 2012, but he did not actually compete at the Games. In the years that followed, he struggled with injuries while attending the University of Alabama. But he was named a First Team All-American in 2013 after helping the Crimson Tide’s 4x100m relay team finish second at the NCAA Championships in school record time. Following graduation, he re-teamed with coach Stuart McMillan at ALTIS in Phoenix, Arizona, having previously trained with him in high school. During the preliminary heats at the 2015 Canadian Championships, Haynes ran a personal best 10.15 seconds in the 100m, eventually finish fifth in the event. He finished third in the 100m at the 2016 Canadian Championships.

Getting to know…

Family: Mother Carlene Samuels… When he was seven, he and his mother moved to Yellowknife before settling in Calgary when he was 10… Outside Interests: Attended Barton County Community College in Great Bend, Kansas before transferring to the University of Alabama where he earned a degree in General Health… Wrote a self-help book called Love, Life and Legacy about dealing with hardships…