James Preston (born 8 May 1997) is a track and field athlete from New Zealand. He is a multiple time national champion over 800 metres and the current New Zealand record holder.

Early and personal life

From Karori, he runs for Wellington Scottish Athletics Club. In 2023, Preston combined his running with a full-time work as an engineer in Wellington.

Career

Preston had a breakthrough result as an 18 year-old when he won the 800m at the Porritt Classic in New Zealand in February 2016, beating New Zealand champions

Brad Mathas Brad Mathas (born 24 June 1993) is a New Zealand middle-distance runner who specializes in the 800 metres. He is a multiple-time national champion in the 800 metres and represented New Zealand at the World Athletics Championships and the Co ...

and

Hamish Carson Hamish Carson (born 1 November 1988) is a middle distance athlete from New Zealand. He represented his country at the 2016 Summer Olympics in the 1500 metres. Career Carson was educated at Kapiti College. During his childhood, Carson particip ...

, and breaking his personal best by three seconds. In March 2022, Preston won his second New Zealand national title over 800 metres. In July 2022, he became the third fastest 800m New Zealand athlete in history, behind

Peter Snell Sir Peter George Snell (17 December 1938 – 12 December 2019) was a New Zealand middle-distance runner. He won three Olympic gold medals, and is the only man since 1920 to have won the 800 and 1500 metres at the same Olympics, in 1964. Snell ...

and John Walker, when he ran 1:45.30 in Germany. In February 2023, Preston won the 800m at the World Athletics Continental Tour Gold Meet in Melbourne in a world-leading time. A few weeks later he claimed this third national 800m title. At the

2023 World Athletics Championships The 2023 World Athletics Championships ( hu, 2023-as atlétikai világbajnokság), the nineteenth edition of the World Athletics Championships, are scheduled to be held from 19 August to 27 August 2023 in Budapest, Hungary. The city of Budapes ...

in Budapest, he did not qualify for the semi-finals of the 800m. He ran a national record indoor time of 1:47.59 in the 800 metres at the

2024 World Athletics Indoor Championships 4 (four) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number following 3 and preceding 5. It is the smallest semiprime and composite number, and is considered unlucky in many East Asian cultures. In mathematics Four is the smallest c ...

in Glasgow. At the 2024 New Zealand Track & Field Championships Preston ran 1:44.87 to become the second fastest New Zealander ever over the distance behind

and ahead of John Walker. On 25 May of that year, in Pfungstadt, Germany, Preston broke Snell's 62-year-old New Zealand national record in the 800m, the oldest athletics record in New Zealand and one of the oldest in the world.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Preston, James 1997 births Living people New Zealand male middle-distance runners Athletes from Wellington City