At barely 14 years old, James Anderson is already jumping higher than most of his senior counterparts. Currently ranked 2nd in Scotland and 5th in the UK, the young islander has been taking the athletics scene by storm.
“It’s been a real surprise how quickly things have come on for James,” his dad Grant tells us.
Reflecting on the past year, Grant says he has been blown away by James’ ability to continuously improve his performance from competition to competition.
Just a few weeks ago, James jumped a staggering 1.81 metres at an open meeting in Inverness, putting him 2nd in Scotland and 5th in the UK in his age group.
Where it all began
First going along to weekly sessions at Stornoway Running & Athletics Club when he was 8, James quickly found his love for jumping.
“At first I did a bit of everything but when I started competing, I found I was doing pretty well in the jumps so really started focussing on them from there,” he told us.
Distance learning 
James now trains four days a week at the local track but unlike many of the athletes he competes against, his coach lives 260 miles away.
“There isn’t a dedicated jumps coach at the club here in Stornoway,” Grant explained.
“So, when he started performing well in the high jump, I did a bit of research online and found a coach who is based in Edinburgh.”
Allan Smith is a multiple British champion and Team GB internationalist high jumper and has been coaching James for a year and a half now.
“We have travelled to see Allan four or five times but the rest of the sessions are all done via Zoom,” Grant told us.
“He’s been absolutely incredible and his impact on James is as clear as day.”
Ferries buses and trains
James’ journey to train with his coach is an adventure, to say the least.
“Each time we go to see Allan we have to get a ferry, bus and train and have at least one overnight stay,” James explained.
“That’s where the ATAS has been so helpful,” Grant added.
“We simply wouldn’t be able to do it if it wasn’t for that extra funding.”
In addition to the trips away to see his coach, James also travels to numerous competitions on the mainland throughout the year. Grant explains that the ATAS funding has also allowed James to compete more frequently and travel to competitions that he would not have the opportunity to otherwise.
Making it work
Back home, James is largely solo training with dad Grant as his mentor.
“I do sprints and some jumps training with a Level 3 coach for a couple of sessions a week, but my jumps are usually just me and my dad,” James said.
Grant, who is now working towards his athletics coaching course with a focus on jumps, explains that though the training is now going well for James, it wasn’t always the case. He said:
“The sport centre’s high jump mats got vandalised in April last year and we didn’t get replacements until September.
“So that whole time, James had no access to any high jump training on the island.”
During that time, James focussed on sprints and plyometrics and when he was eventually able to return to jumps training, found he had gone from jumping around 1.50 to 1.70.
“I guess that’s another aspect of why I’m so proud of how far he’s come,” Grant said.
“I’ll never forget the day he jumped 1.70. It was just incredible after all that time with no proper training.”
Leaps and bounds
Since then, James has gone from strength to strength.
Back in May, he broke a 38-year-old record at the North District Championships, jumping 1.75 to equal the record that had stood since 1986. At that same meet, James also won the long jump with a personal best.
A multi-talented athlete, James has also made his mark on the long jump, taking home a gold at the recent Scottish Schools meet at Grangemouth.
When asked what keeps him motivated James tells us:
“Because I train on my own a lot, I really enjoy travelling away to competitions and meeting other athletes from across Scotland.”
“At competitions we’ll often have strangers coming up to us to say they were watching and were really impressed by James,” Grant added.
“That’s always really nice to hear.”
To the future
Looking ahead, James undoubtedly has a long and successful career ahead.
Although just too young to compete at Orkney 2025, he has his sights firmly set on the 2027 Islands Games in the Faroe Islands.
In the immediate future, James hopes to get on the podium in August at the scottishathletics National Championships where he is competing in both the high jump and long jump.
“Next year, we’ll be looking for more competitive opportunities and I’m really hoping to take him down to some competitions in England. That would be really good for him,” Grant said.
“We’ll be applying for the ATAS funding again to allow us to do that.”
More info
· The sportscotland Athlete Travel Award Scheme (ATAS) supports travel costs for Highland and island competitors to help talented athletes from the Outer Hebrides, Orkney, Shetland and Highland to gain better access to competitive and developmental opportunities available on the mainland. Successful applicants benefit from up to £1,500 to support travel and accommodation costs in attending training and competitions.
· To find out more about the ATAS fund across the Highlands and Islands, visit: Athlete Travel Award Scheme (ATAS) - sportscotland the national agency for sport in Scotland
