James Stallworth (athlete)
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Medal record
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James Stallworth (born April 29, 1971) is an American track and field athlete, primarily known for the long jump. He currently holds the NFHS High School Record for the long jump, with a jump of 26' 4.75," 8.04 metres[1] set while winning the CIF California State High School Championships in Norwalk, California on June 3, 1989.[2][3] See the jump on youtube. Stallworth attended Tulare Union High School, the same high school as the famous two time Olympic Decathlon champion Bob Mathias and Discus Gold Medalist Sim Iness.
Continuing his junior career, he won the USATF Junior Championships in 1990, setting a still standing meet record of 8.17 metres[4] which qualified him for the International team. He was also Junior National Champion at 200 meters.[5] In Plovdiv, Bulgaria, he won the 1990 World Junior Championships in Athletics, setting a personal record of 8.20 metres (which is currently tied for #152 on the world all-time list[6]) in the qualifying round. He also won a Bronze medal in the 200 metres in that same competition. In 1991, as a 20-year-old, he placed second behind Mike Powell in the United States Olympic Festival,[7] Powell would claim the World Record in the Long Jump two years later, a record he still holds.
With exceptional junior athletics results like these, one would normally expect an outstanding career as a collegiate or elite athlete. After an arrest for selling drugs that cost him his scholarship to Fresno State, a downward spiral of addiction and prison followed. Today, Stallworth works as a warehouse worker[8] at a Rescue Mission, where he lives in transitional housing and works on his recovery.
In 2000, James Stallworth reappeared, competing unattached and achieving a 26' Long Jump in a local championship in Long Beach, California[9] as a 29-year-old, which did not improve on his best set ten years earlier. It ranked him 21st in the United States that year.
References
- ^ NFHS Rulebook p. 83
- ^ LA Times
- ^ "California State Meet Results - 1915 to present". Hank Lawson. Retrieved 2012-12-25.
- ^ USATF Junior Meet Records
- ^ http://www.usatf.org/statistics/USA-Champions/USAJuniorOutdoorTF/men/200m.aspx
- ^ World All Time List
- ^ Olympic Festival results
- ^ Vigran, Nancy (2017-07-20). "James Stallworth: Back on Top". Valley Voice. Retrieved 2017-07-25.
- ^ Track and Field News
