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Richard James (sprinter, born 1979)

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Richard James
Personal information
Born (1979-12-01) 1 December 1979 (age 45)[1][2]
Boston Beach, Portland, Jamaica[3]
Home townPortland, Jamaica[4]
Education
Height175 cm (5 ft 9 in)[3]
Weight75 kg (165 lb)[3]
Sport
Country Jamaica
SportSport of athletics
Event400 metres
College team
Achievements and titles
National finals
Personal bests
Medal record
Men's athletics
Representing  Jamaica
World Indoor Championships
Gold medal – first place 2004 Budapest 4 × 400 m relay
NACAC Under-25 Championships
Bronze medal – third place 2002 San Antonio 4 × 100 m relay
Silver medal – second place 2002 San Antonio 4 × 400 m relay
Central American and Caribbean Championships
Silver medal – second place 2003 St. George's 4 × 400 m relay
Updated on November 2024

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.

Career

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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 2024 Summer Olympics, but he did not ultimately compete in the heats or finals of the Olympic 4 × 400 m.[5][4]

Personal life

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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

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Personal best progression

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400m progression
# Mark Pl. Competition Venue Date Ref.
1 48.37 3rd place, bronze medalist(s) Mets New York, NY 2 Feb 2002 [10]
2 48.23 1st place, gold medalist(s) (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 1st place, gold medalist(s) (Round 2) Duke Inv Durham, NC 5 Apr 2002 [13]
5 46.45 1st place, gold medalist(s) (Heat) Northeast Emmitsburg, MD 3 May 2002 [14]
6 46.06 1st place, gold medalist(s) Northeast Emmitsburg, MD 4 May 2002 [15]
7 45.96 2nd place, silver medalist(s) IC4A Princeton, NJ 17 May 2002 [16]
8 45.91 1st place, gold medalist(s) Northeast Baltimore, MD 3 May 2003 [17]
9 45.67 3rd place, bronze medalist(s) (Heat 1) NCAA Sacramento, CA 11 Jun 2003 [18]
10 45.66 5th (Semifinal 2) NCAA Sacramento, CA 12 Jun 2003 [19]

References

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  1. ^ Richard James at World Athletics Edit this at Wikidata
  2. ^ a b c d e f Richard James at Tilastopaja (registration required)
  3. ^ a b c d Richard James at Olympedia (archive)
  4. ^ a b c "LIU's Richard James Qualifies For Jamaican Olympic Team; Bryan Steele Makes Under-23 Squad". northeastconference.org. Retrieved 24 November 2024.
  5. ^ a b "Hall of Fame - LIUAthletics.com Mobile". brooklyn.liuathletics.com. Retrieved 24 November 2024.
  6. ^ a b "About Coach James". Brooklyn Speed and Power. Retrieved 24 November 2024.
  7. ^ "LIU's James Stars Again". Newspapers.com. 10 May 2002. Retrieved 24 November 2024.
  8. ^ "LIU Brooklyn Blackbirds - Richard James - Staff Directory - LIU Brooklyn". brooklyn.liuathletics.com. Retrieved 24 November 2024.
  9. ^ "Advisory Board | Sports Science Lab". Retrieved 24 November 2024.
  10. ^ "Athletics recap for meeting #51214". Tilastopaja.
  11. ^ "Athletics recap for meeting #40142". Tilastopaja.
  12. ^ "Athletics recap for meeting #42500". Tilastopaja.
  13. ^ "Athletics recap for meeting #38012". Tilastopaja.
  14. ^ "Athletics recap for meeting #29378". Tilastopaja.
  15. ^ "Athletics recap for meeting #29378". Tilastopaja.
  16. ^ "Athletics recap for meeting #26139". Tilastopaja.
  17. ^ "Athletics recap for meeting #7897595". Tilastopaja.
  18. ^ "Athletics recap for meeting #7930988". Tilastopaja.
  19. ^ "Athletics recap for meeting #7930988". Tilastopaja.
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