James Stallworth

Who is James Stallworth?

James Stallworth 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 set while winning the CIF California State High School Championships in Norwalk, California on June 3, 1989. 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 which qualified him for the International team. In Plovdiv, Bulgaria, he won the 1990 World Junior Championships in Athletics, setting a personal record of 8.20 metres 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, 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. No such career seems to exist. In 2000, James Stallworth reappeared, competing unattached and achieving a 26' Long Jump in a local championship in Long Beach, California 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.