Taeja James

2017 James won the junior all-around title at the 2017 British Championships despite falling off the beam. She then finished fifth in the all-around at the 2017 European Youth Olympic Festival.

Senior gymnastics career

2018 James became age-eligible for senior competitions in 2018. She won the vault bronze medal and the floor exercise silver medal at the 2018 British Championships. At 15 years and 6 months old, James was the youngest athlete representing England at the 2018 Commonwealth Games. She was not originally selected for the team but was brought in to replace the injured Amy Tinkler. While there, she helped England win the team silver medal. She qualified for the floor exercise final in first place, but she stepped out of bounds twice in the final and finished seventh.

2019 James finished eighth in the all-around at the 2019 British Championships. In the event finals, she won a bronze medal on the floor exercise and finished fifth on the balance beam. She helped Great Britain finish sixth at the 2019 World Championships.

2025 After a 5-year break from gymnastics, James teased her return on Instagram. She trialled for the 2025 World Championships, where she was named as a non-travelling reserve. She made her return to competition at the 2025 British Team Championships, where Notts Gymnastics Academy came second and individually James placed third on vault, second on balance beam and fourth on floor. In November James broke her Talus bone in her foot and was required to take time out.

2026 James made her return to British Championships where she competed on balance beam and floor exercise. She qualified for the balance beam final where she placed 8th. James competed at the Koper Challenge Cup where she won silver on vault and floor exercise. In June, Leat was announced as part of the English team at the 2026 Commonwealth Games, alongside Abigail Martin, Alia Leat, Ruby Stacey and Shantae-Eve Amankwaah.

Competition history