James Turner

BIOGRAPHY

Growing up James competed in athletics and joined his first club aged eight. He first represented Australia in Para-football 7-a-side at the 2012 AFC Dream Asia Cerebral Palsy Tournament in Abu Dhabi but turned his focus to athletics when the Para-roos did not qualify for the 2016 Paralympic Games. 

The following year James clocked his maiden qualifier for the Games with a time of 2:08.90 in the 800m at the 2016 Australian Athletics Championships. Selected for Rio, he stunned the athletics community with his brave, world record-breaking performance, crossing for gold with a time of 2:02.40.

A year later, he was selected for his first World Para Athletics Championships held in London in 2017, where he was invincible, winning three gold medals in the 200m, 400m and 800m, including a world record time of 24.09 in the 200m. 

James defended his 400m world title two years later in Dubai at the 2019 World Para Athletics Championships. He also added the 100m to his program, winning gold. Both performances with world records times of 11.72 and 51.71 – marks which still stand today. The 200m and 800m events were not held in Dubai and it was the same for the Tokyo Paralympics with only the 100m and 400m listed for his T36 classification.
At the delayed Paralympics, James won gold in the 400m and silver in the 100m. His 400m win was his seventh global gold medal. His 100m silver was claimed behind China’s Deng Peicheng, however, they were both outside James’ world record.

In June 2023 James was named in his third World Para Athletics Championships team, for Paris in July.  He was selected in the T36 100m and 400m. For the 100m in Paris, James will again face a challenge from Deng Peicheng, and another faster Chinese athlete Yang Yifei. However, James has been in terrific form this summer clocking his fastest time in Australia – 11.80. In the 400m, he will be challenged by an emerging threat - Kiwi William Stedman.

Honours: In January 2017, he received the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) in recognition of the gold medal he won at the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio…Education: Degree in Health and Physical Education/Fitness, Canberra Uni…Impairment: cerebral palsy…Raised: Diamond Beach, NSW…World records: currently hold 4 – 100m 11.72, 200m 24.09, 400m 51.71 & 800m 2:02.39…Coaches: currently with Iryna Dvoskina, but for Rio with Brett Robinson and prior to this Marie Kay in Wollongong…First club: Forster-Tuncurry Athletics club aged 8…Development: At 15 selected into the Hunter Academy of Sport AWD middle-distance running program.

@ 26 June 2023 david.tarbotton@athletics.org.au