Meet Saniél Atkinson-Grier: Sponsored Klean Team Athlete, Track and Field

My name is Saniél Atkinson-Grier and I’m a Jamaican National Team high-jumper. My love for track and field started when I was 9 years old with Marlboro Boys & Girls Track team in Maryland. In a short window of time I started competing at AAU and USATF Regional and Junior Olympics, earning All-American honors for high jump and the pentathlon. I attended Bishop McNamara High School in Maryland, where my passion for track and field grew even stronger, and it showed. I earned numerous awards, including being named Nike^® All-American, 8x All Met, All-State, All-Metro and All-County first-team honors, and ESPN^® Rise Athlete of the Week. In addition, I was honored as Bishop McNamara High School Female Athlete of the Year and Maryland’s All Decade High Jumper. During my time at the University of Georgia, I competed for the Jamaican National Team at the 2012 Senior Olympic Trials with a jump of 1.89 meters (6 feet, 2.25 inches), narrowly missing the qualifying mark to make the Olympic Team but securing the Women’s Senior High Jump National Championship Title. In 2013, I competed again at the National Championships and came away victorious, retaining the Jamaican Senior National High Jump Champion title. After that National Championship, I competed in the 2013 CAC Senior Championships in Mexico and won a Bronze Medal. The following season I competed at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland, and finished in the Top 10.

In my opinion, a healthy active lifestyle is not just for athletes, but for everyone. By taking some time each and every day to be active and eat healthier, you are improving your overall health, which has short- and long-term benefits. Throughout my 17 years of competing in track and field, I’ve learned that health and wellness are important for longevity. I’ve encountered my fair share of injuries but I’ve always been able to overcome them and comeback stronger than I was before because I’ve always emphasized living a healthy lifestyle. In order for track and field athletes to be the best they can be, they need to have proper nutrition. What I put into my body is what I’m going to get out of it. Therefore, I make sure that I stick to my meal plan and when I use supplements to complement my diet, I follow World Anti-Doping Association (WADA) guidelines and recommendations. I am a Klean Athlete because I want my hard work, determination and resilience to be the reasons why I’m able to turn my dreams into a reality. I aspire to inspire other athletes to fight every single day to make their dreams a reality. It’s important to me that athletes value hard work rather than search for the easy route to success by sacrificing integrity and cheating the system – and ultimately themselves. Everyone has the capacity to be the best version of themselves; all they have to do is train and live clean, focus, and work hard to achieve their goals.

My Daily Mantra: Train Like An Athlete, Eat Like A Nutritionist, Sleep Like A Baby & Win Like A Champion.  

A Few Fun Facts About Saniél: I’ve literally been an athlete for my entire life. I started dancing when I was 4 years old and specialized in ballet, tap and jazz. At the age of 6, I started doing gymnastics, and by 7, I had added tennis and golf. When I was 8, I started cheerleading and continued to cheer while doing track and field for seven years. I also played volleyball for three years.

You can follow Saniél on Twitter and Instagram.
Twitter: https://twitter.com/SAtkinsonGrier
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/satkinsongrier/