Akeem Bloomfield
Akeem Bloomfield (born 11 October 1997) is a Jamaican athlete specializing in sprint events. Running for Auburn University, he finished second in the 400 meters at the 2018 NCAA Championships behind Michael Norman of USC.[1] His time of 43.94 ranks #17 on the all-time list, one of only 18 human beings to run the distance under 44 seconds. 15 days later, he signed a professional contract with Puma.[2] Less than a month later, Bloomfield ran a 200 metres in 19.81, at the London Anniversary Games. Video on YouTube. Bloomfield had never run under 20 seconds before, so his win was so unexpected, race announcers didn't even announce him as the winner until 20 seconds after the race when his name came up on the results display. That time also ranked him on the top 25 all-time list, joining Michael Johnson and Isaac Makwala as the only men to make both the current 200 and 400 lists.
Earlier in the season, Bloomfield finished second to Norman at the 2018 NCAA Indoor Championships. Norman set the world record of 44.52 in that race, Bloomfield's 44.86 ranks him at #6 on the all-time list and is the Jamaican indoor record.
Bloomfield had previously run for Kingston College. At the 2015 Jamaican National Championships, Bloomfield set the Jamaican Junior Record for 400 meters at 44.93.[3]
