Mikhail Akimenko first appeared in the Russian championships in 2011, at that time still in the hurdles. Just one year later he won the bronze medal in the high jump at the U20 European Championships in Rieti with a skipped 2.18 m. A year later Akimenko won the gold medal at the U20 World Championships in Eugene with 2.24 m . Since that year he has focused exclusively on the high jump. He won the two medals from the youth championships in each season's best performance.
At the U23 European Championships in Tallinn, he jumped 2.18 m again, like two years earlier at the U20 European Championships. They meant sixth place in the final. In November, in the wake of the scandal surrounding the systematic state doping, the Russian association, RusAF, was banned, which is why the athletes have not been allowed to compete as Russian teams in international competitions since then. Since then Akimenko has only appeared in Russian championships. In September 2019, shortly before the World Championships in Doha, he and 10 other athletes became an Authorized Neutral Athlete , those athletes who are allowed to participate in international championships regardless of their nationality for the duration of the association's suspension.
In the final of the world championships Akimenko won the silver medal with a personal best of 2.35 m, behind the local top favorite Mutaz Essa Barshim .
Russia Authorized Neutral Athletes (2019–)
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Rieti
Eugene
Tallinn
Doha