Richard James (sprinter, born 1979)
Jamaican sprinter (born 1979)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Richard James (born 1 December 1979) is a Jamaican former sprinter specializing in the 400 metres and the 8th World Athletics Indoor Championships gold medallist in the 4 × 400 m relay. He was an All-American track and field runner for the LIU Brooklyn Blackbirds and won medals at the Central American and Caribbean Championships in Athletics and the NACAC Under-25 Championships in Athletics.
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1 December 1979[1][2] Boston Beach, Portland, Jamaica[3] |
| Home town | Portland, Jamaica[4] |
| Education | |
| Height | 175 cm (5 ft 9 in)[3] |
| Weight | 75 kg (165 lb)[3] |
| Sport | |
| Country |  Jamaica |
| Sport | Sport of athletics |
Event | 400 metres |
| College team | |
| Achievements and titles | |
National finals |
|
| Personal bests | |
| Updated on November 2024 | |
Career
James achieved his first international championship experience at the 2002 NACAC Under-25 Championships in Athletics, where he entered in three events. In the 400 m, he qualified for the finals and finished 5th. He won a bronze medal anchoring the 4 × 100 m relay and won silver running 2nd leg of the 4 × 400 m, finishing only behind the United States.[2]
Following a brief NJCAA career with the Southwestern Christian College Rams, James joined the LIU Brooklyn Blackbirds track and field team in the NCAA, where he broke several Northeast Conference track records.[5] After not advancing from the heats of the 2002 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships, James qualified for the 2003 NCAA Division I Outdoor Championships 400 m final, where he placed 8th and was All American. At the 2003 Central American and Caribbean Championships in Athletics, James finished 5th in the 400 m and won another silver medal anchoring the 4 × 400 m relay.[2]
James achieved his greatest international success at the 2004 IAAF World Indoor Championships, where he helped his Jamaican team to a gold medal by leading off their 4 × 400 m team to a heat win. In the finals, James and Sanjay Ayre were replaced by Gregory Haughton and Davian Clarke, and Jamaica won in a world-leading 3:05.21 clocking.[2]
James qualified for three Jamaican Athletics Championships national finals in the 400 m, placing 8th at the 2002 and 2003 editions and achieving a best finish of 4th in 2004.[2]
James was selected as part of the Jamaican relay team at the 2004 Summer Olympics, but he did not ultimately compete in the heats or finals of the Olympic 4 × 400 m.[5][4]
Personal life
James was born on 1 December 1979 in Boston Beach, Portland, Jamaica.[4][3] He first attended Southwestern Christian College in Terrell, Texas before studying at LIU Brooklyn, where he graduated with a master's degree in exercise physiology in 2007.[6][7]
After graduation, James became a performance director and adjunct sports science professor at LIU Brooklyn.[8] In 2018, he became the Director of High Performance at Poly Prep in Brooklyn.[6]
In his capacity as a coach, James has trained and worked with distance runner Julius Mutekanga and footballer Adam Ozeri.[9]
While a professional athlete, James was sponsored by Puma.[2]
Statistics
Personal best progression
| # | Mark | Pl. | Competition | Venue | Date | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 48.37 |  | Mets | New York, NY | 2 Feb 2002 | [10] |
| 2 | 48.23 |  (Heat 6-Coll) | Arm Inv | New York, NY | 7 Feb 2002 | [11] |
| 3 | 47.51 | 4th | IC4A | Boston, MA | 2 Mar 2002 | [12] |
| 4 | 47.01 | (Round 2) | Duke Inv | Durham, NC | 5 Apr 2002 | [13] |
| 5 | 46.45 | (Heat) | Northeast | Emmitsburg, MD | 3 May 2002 | [14] |
| 6 | 46.06 | | Northeast | Emmitsburg, MD | 4 May 2002 | [14] |
| 7 | 45.96 |  | IC4A | Princeton, NJ | 17 May 2002 | [15] |
| 8 | 45.91 | | Northeast | Baltimore, MD | 3 May 2003 | [16] |
| 9 | 45.67 | (Heat 1) | NCAA | Sacramento, CA | 11 Jun 2003 | [17] |
| 10 | 45.66 | 5th (Semifinal 2) | NCAA | Sacramento, CA | 12 Jun 2003 | [17] |
