Jones first competed in the CARIFTA Games as a 12-year-old in 2008, winning silver in the under-17 girls' high jump with a jump of 1.71 m.[2][3]
On 20 March 2009 Jones cleared 1.81 m in Bridgetown; as of July 2015[update], this remains the age 13 world best.[4][5] At the 2009 CARIFTA Games she repeated her silver from the previous year, clearing 1.80 m to equal the championship record but losing to Jamaica's Petergaye Reid on countback.[6] Jones won her first CARIFTA Games gold medal in 2010, clearing a championship record 1.85 m in the high jump; additionally, she won silver with the Barbadian team in the 4 × 100 metres relay.[7][8] Later that spring, she became the first Barbadian to win a high school event at the Penn Relays, winning the girls' high jump with 1.81 m.[9]
Jones set a national youth and junior record in the women's long jump, 6.18 m, at the 2011 Barbadian CARIFTA Trials.[10] She won two gold medals at the 2011 CARIFTA Games, winning both the high jump (1.75 m) and the long jump (5.66 m).[11] She was selected for her first global meet, the 2011 World Youth Championships in Lille, as a long jumper;[12] jumping 6.10 m in the qualification and 6.04 m in the final, she placed sixth.[7]
In 2012 Jones competed in the CARIFTA Games as an under-20 athlete for the first time, winning gold in the long jump (6.18 m), silver in the high jump (1.80 m) and bronze in the 4 × 100 m relay.[7] At the CAC Junior Championships she won gold medals in both the long jump (6.36 m) and the high jump (1.81 m); her long jump mark was a new championship record and Barbadian junior record, while her high jump mark equaled the championship record.[13] She competed in the long jump at the 2012 World Junior Championships in Barcelona, but was eliminated in the qualification.[14]
Jones enrolled in Oklahoma Baptist University, a NAIA college, after the 2012 season; she had originally intended to go to the NCAA's Kansas State University, but lacked the course credits.[15] During the 2013 indoor season Jones set Barbadian indoor records in both the high jump (1.85 m) and long jump (6.26 m); at the 2013 NAIA indoor championships she won both events, and additionally placed second in the 60 m hurdles.[7] Jones won four medals at the 2013 CARIFTA Games, winning gold in the under-20 long jump (6.19 m) and silver in the high jump, 100 m hurdles and 4 × 100 m relay.[7] At the NAIA outdoor championships she won the long jump, high jump and 100 m hurdles and placed second in the flat 100 m.[16]
2014
Jones set a Barbadian indoor record in women's pentathlon, 4194 points, in Wichita on 31 January 2014.[7] She repeated as NAIA indoor champion in both the high jump and long jump, and also won the pentathlon and 60 m hurdles; in addition, she placed second in the flat 60 m, leading the Oklahoma Baptist women to a team championship.[17] At her final CARIFTA Games appearance in April 2014, Jones won the under-20 women's long jump (6.32 m), high jump (1.84 m) and 100 m hurdles (13.55); she received the Austin Sealy Award as the most outstanding athlete of the meet.[18][19] The following month, she repeated as NAIA outdoor champion in the long jump, high jump and 100 m hurdles; her winning mark in the long jump (6.55 m) was a new Barbadian record.[7][20]
At the 2014 World Junior Championships in Eugene, Oregon Jones won gold in the long jump, jumping 6.34 m into a strong headwind; she was the first Barbadian ever to win a World Junior Championship medal.[21] She also qualified for the high jump final, but decided to skip it after the long jump gold to avoid aggravating a minor knee problem.[21] In recognition of her achievements in 2014, Jones was named Barbadian Sportspersonality of the Year.[22]
2015
Jones transferred from Oklahoma Baptist to Kansas State University for the 2014–15 season.[15][23] She had a successful 2015 indoor season, winning the Big 12 Conference long jump title and setting Barbadian indoor records in the long jump (6.64 m) and pentathlon (4402 points); her long jump mark ranked second in the NCAA that year, behind Jenna Prandini of Oregon.[7][24] At the NCAA indoor championships she placed fourth in the high jump and sixth in the long jump.[24]
Outdoors, Jones made her heptathlon debut at the Jim Click Invitational in Tucson, breaking the Barbadian record with her tally of 6049 points.[25] At the Big 12 outdoor championships she placed second in three events – the 100 m hurdles, high jump and long jump.[7] The second heptathlon of Jones's career was at the 2015 NCAA outdoor championships in Eugene; she won the championship with a wind-aided total of 6371 points, defeating defending champion Kendell Williams of Georgia.[1] Jones's day one score, 4023 points, marked the first time an NCAA heptathlete had reached 4000 points after four events; her two-day total placed her fourth (behind Diane Guthrie-Gresham, Brianne Theisen-Eaton and Jackie Joyner-Kersee) on the collegiate all-time list and broke Austra Skujytė's Kansas State record.[26][27] In her other event at the NCAA championships, the high jump, Jones equaled her personal best of 1.87 m and placed fourth; the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association named her Women's National Field Athlete of the Year in NCAA Division I.[26]
In July 2015, Jones represented Barbados at the Pan American Games in Toronto, clearing 1.91 m to win bronze in the women's high jump. In addition, she placed sixth in the long jump with 6.60 m; both marks were new Barbadian outdoor records.[7]
2016
Outdoors, Jones made her heptathlon debut at the Mt SAC Relays winning with a score of 6307 in April. Akela Jones won long jump with a jump of 6.75 m (22 ft 1+1⁄2 in) at Big 12 Conference in May. At Akela's second heptathlon at 2016 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships, she placed third scoring 6063. In July, Jones won high jump at NACAC U23 Championships and placed 2nd and 4th in long jump and 100 m Hurdles. In August, Jones competed in the Olympic heptathlon and high jump. She placed 20th in the heptathlon[28] and did not make the finals for the high jump.[29] She was chosen to serve as flag bearer for Barbados in the Olympic closing ceremonies.[30]
