By Aaron Mahoney (@Mahones93 on Twitter)

From homeless to Olympic medalist: Akeem Haynes details his journey in supporting KidSport

Mar 20, 2019 | 2:28 PM

LETHBRIDGE, AB – Akeem Haynes is someone that’s achieved a lot in his life at just 27 years of age.

He won a bronze medal at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro in the 4x100m relay as the lead-off runner for the Canadian team, helping Canada break a 20-year-old national record in the process.

But despite that success, Haynes did not have an easy path to the Canadian Olympic team.

Haynes spoke to the Lethbridge Taber KidSport Sponsor & Friends Luncheon on Wednesday, Mar. 20, and shared his experience and why it’s important for him to work with groups like KidSport that give young people a leg up when it comes to being able to play sports.

Originally born in Savlamar, Jamaica, Haynes moved early to Canada with his mother seeking a better life.

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They initially settled in Yellowknife, before landing in Calgary but rough times followed as Haynes’ mother did her best to try and provide stability for her son.

When he was 13-years-old, Haynes explained that coming home from school one day he noticed bags outside and recognized the clothes in them. It was the middle of winter in Alberta, and he and his mother were now homeless.

“My message today was about sacrifices and support. I’ve never heard any individual say there is such a thing as too much hope in the world. I think with me being an ambassador for KidSport it provides a lot of that through different fields and different events.”

With help from some friends from school, Haynes and his mother were able to get back on their feet.

During this tumultuous time, Haynes remained involved in sports, mainly football and track and field.

“For me growing up, I didn’t necessarily have certain expenses to be able to play sports. When I played football, I played with one pair of shoes until an individual gave me a new pair to play.”

That individual would be his football coach, whom Haynes recalls telling him not to worry about the fact that he couldn’t pay for the cleats.

“He told me ‘just pay me back with touchdowns on the field.’”

Haynes says he didn’t even know KidSport existed, and that maybe if he had known, things would’ve been a little better.

“Just the importance of allowing a kid to be a kid, I never really got that opportunity. I couldn’t do certain things that other kids were able to do, so for me, I think KidSport is doing a great job at that, and that’s why I wanted to be a part of that. Because they’re giving what I wish I had, at that time.”

Haynes excelled both on the field and the track, winning many different awards, and as he progressed through high school, he started to get offers from Division I schools in the United States.

His path again would be full of obstacles, as Haynes was ruled automatically ineligible due to an NCAA violation with his ninth-grade math class.

One of the reasons he feels compelled to share his story and speak in support of programs like KidSport is because people don’t know what they don’t know.

“I think people need to know what’s out there. I don’t think anybody should ever have to say they can’t play something because they can’t afford it. There are ways around it, but people don’t know there are ways around it. With KidSport, you fill out some forms, and that’s where you start. I didn’t have that growing up, so every time I go and speak and spread a message it was easy for me to jump on this one,” Haynes said, adding that was because it wasn’t about him.

Despite all the adversity in his life, Haynes never gave up academically, on the field, or the track.

He attended Barton Community College in the fall of 2010, and just two years later Haynes would make his first Canadian Olympic Team and earn All-American honours, becoming a national champion and receiving a full athletic scholarship to The University of Alabama.

“I think to some extent everybody is going through different things. I think when it comes to professional sports people always talk about the good, they always talk about Side A. But my journey started on Side B, and I had to fight, and work, and fight some more to get to Side A.

“I think if you’re going to tell an athlete or an individual ‘OK, you can be here,’ you have to also tell them what’s on the other side. The decisions you make day in and day out will affect what side you ultimately lay on because life happens to all of us. For me, I always tell the Side B first because I want people to see what they’re up against, then they decide whether it’s for them or not. I always make sure to talk about the turmoil and the hard points while understanding that if you know what you’re up against, you’ll have a better shot at achieving what it is you say you want,” Haynes stated.