Samuel James

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.