Maria Akraka

Maria Akraka

File:Maria Akraka 2012-03-13 001.jpg Maria Akraka representing Intersport
Personal information
Full name	Maria Helene Henriksson Akraka
Born	(1966-07-07) 7 July 1966 London, England
Height	1.70 m (5 ft 7 in)
Weight	55 kg (121 lb)
Sport
Country	Sweden
Sport	Athletics
College team	Iowa State
Club	Rånäs 4H
Retired	2000
Medal record Women's athletics Representing Sweden Swedish Championships Gold medal – first place 1987 800 m Gold medal – first place 1987 4 x 800 m Gold medal – first place 1988 800 m Gold medal – first place 1988 4 x 800 m Gold medal – first place 1989 800 m Gold medal – first place 1989 4 x 800 m Gold medal – first place 1990 800 m Silver medal – second place 1990 4 x 800 m Gold medal – first place 1991 800 m Silver medal – second place 1991 4 x 800 m Gold medal – first place 1992 3,000 m Gold medal – first place 1993 800 m Gold medal – first place 1993 1,500 m Gold medal – first place 1993 3,000 m Gold medal – first place 1994 800 m Gold medal – first place 1994 1,500 m Silver medal – second place 1995 800 m Gold medal – first place 1995 1,500 m Silver medal – second place 1995 4 x 800 m Gold medal – first place 1998 4 x 800 m

Maria Helene Henriksson Akraka (born July 7, 1966) is a Swedish retired entrepreneur, television host and former athlete.

College career

Akraka competed as an athlete in both cross country and track & field for Iowa State in the United States. She finished her career a four-time All-American and a two-time Big Eight champion.

In 2010 she was inducted into the Iowa State Cyclones Hall of Fame.

International career

Akraka competed in four European Championships, three World Championships, and the 1992 Olympic Games in both the 1,500 m and 800 m races.

Post-athletics career

Akraka worked previously as a host of betting company ATG's channel, Channel 75, where she interviewed Horse racing jockeys. She also worked for TV4 covering horse racing. In 2006, she started working for SVT, hosting extreme sports game show Megadrom and also covered various sports competitions such as the Olympics and DN Galan.

In 2009, she and her husband bought an estate with an equestrian training stable in 2009. She now spends much of her time training race horses.

Currently she serves as an advisory for sporting goods retailer, Intersport and the founder/CEO of Sportcore, a career agency for former professional athletes.

Personal bests

Surface	Event	Time	Date	Place
Outdoor	400 m	54:50	20 August 1988	Malmö, Sweden
	800 m	2:00:58	8 August 1991	Lahti, Finland
	1,000 m	2:38:30	25 July 1995	Monaco
	1,500 m	4:08:63	19 August 1994	Brussels, Belgium
	1 mile	4:32:04	10 September 1993	London, England
	2,000 m	5:47:76	4 September 1994	Sheffield, England
	3,000 m	9:04:35	28 August 1994	Stockholm, Sweden
Indoor	800 m	2:00:01NR	19 February 1998	Stockholm, Sweden
	1,500 m	4:07:74	18 February 1992	Genoa, Italy
Road	1 mile	4:29.0h	1 February 1998	Santee, CA, USA
Reference:

Personal life

Akraka is married to former triple jumper Tord Henriksson and they have two children.

Akraka was born in London to a Swedish mother and a Nigerian father. The family moved to Sweden but her parents separated and her father moved back to Nigeria. She was raised by her mother in Rågsved outside Stockholm. Her father Smart Akraka is a former track and field athlete who competed in the 1960 Olympic Games in Rome. She has a twin brother, Michael.

External links

• Maria Akraka at World Athletics