| Akala Garrett | |
| Nationality: | American |
| Sport: | Track and field |
| Event: | Hurdling, Sprinting |
| Birth Date: | 10 May 2005 |
| Pb: | 400 mH 56.16 (Cali 2022) |
Akala Garrett (born May 10, 2005) is an American track and field athlete. She won gold medals at the 2022 World Junior Championships in the 400 metres hurdles and the 4 × 400 m relay.
Garrett attended Harding University High School in Charlotte, North Carolina. She is coached by her mother, former track athlete LaSonja Collins.[1]
Garrett was the Gatorade's North Carolina Girls Track & Field Player of the Year in 2021,[2] and 2022.[3] She won the 100m hurdles and the 400m hurdles at the 2022 USATF U20 Outdoor Championships at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon, running 10.91 for the 100 m hurdles and 57.47 for the 400 m hurdles. She had won the 400 m hurdles the year previously also.[4]
She won the 2022 World Junior Championships in the 400 m hurdles and dedicated the win to her former high school principal, Eric Ward.[5] Her time of 56.16 was a world leading U20 time.[6] She finished half a second ahead of nearest rival, Hanna Karlsson of Sweden.[7] She doubled up and also won gold in the 4x400 m relay at the event in Cali, Colombia.[8]