Samuel James (born 9 August 2009) is a British high jumper. In 2026, he equalled the British under-18 best clearance with 2.25 metres as he won the gold medal at the 2026 European Athletics U18 Championships.
Biography A member of Kingston AC and Poly Harriers and coached by James Wild, James won the gold medal at the 2026 European Athletics U18 Championships with a championship record of 2.25 metres, a clearance that equalled the British under-18 age-group best recorded by Steve Smith in 1997. On his way to victory he set new personal bests at 2.15m, 2.18m, 2.21m and 2.23m, with a 2.18m clearance initially setting a championship record. No under-18 athlete had jumped higher since 2019 and the clearances moved James to thirteenth on the world under-18 all-time list.
James was subsequently added to the Great Britain team for the 2026 World Athletics U20 Championships, placing fifth overall with a clearance of 2.17 metres in the final, on the eve of his seventeenth birthday, as teammate Otis Poole won the bronze medal. He was nominated for European Athletics Men’s Rising Star for 2026.
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