Tonbridge Runner hopes her domestic achievements will one day act as a springboard to the Winter Olympics.
As a cross-country runner, James Kingston won the England National Championships in 2023, made the British team for the 2024 World Championships and won the Great Britain Cross-Country Championships in Nottingham last month.
The 24-year-old from Tonbridge AC is aiming to make an even bigger impact on the road and track in the coming years, but if running fulfills his Olympic dream and makes its debut at the 2030 Winter Games in France, he will be highly motivated to keep his jumps sharp.
“I recently had this discussion with a training partner,” he says. “If cross-country becomes a sport at the Winter Olympics, it will be a big goal. It’s a great opportunity to go to the Olympics and if it happens, it will be amazing for the sport. Minor sports that no one really watches get a lot of views when it’s the Winter Olympics. So that would be great for cross country if that happens.”
If that were to happen, Kingston would be a strong contender to make the British team. Although still only 24, he has been a stalwart on the domestic scene in recent years, highlighted by last month’s Great Britain cross-country win at Wollaton Hall.
It also came after a disappointing early part of the winter season when he finished seventh in the Liverpool Cross Challenge, failing to make the British team for the European Cross in Lagoa.
“I was really disappointed with Liverpool,” he says. “I felt I was good enough to make the team, but I wasn’t loaded enough at the start and I found myself with a lot to do. But training went well at the Nationals (at Sedgefield in February) and I was beaten there by a very good runner, Hugo Milner, so I took a lot of confidence from that. Then, at the Inter-Counties, I felt really good about that race.
Kingston believes his 2026 version will comfortably beat the 2023-24 version, who beat England at Bolsworth Castle and finished 67th at the World Championships in Belgrade.
“If I’d run myself when I won the nationals or ran the World Cross, I’d be way ahead now,” he says. “I don’t think my old self (2023-24) will win a medal at this year’s Inter-City Games. It’s nice to know I’m a lot stronger and can build on that for the next year or two.”
Back in 2023-2024, he was running around 80-85 miles per week, but now regularly hits 100. Outside of athletics, he works part-time at the Running Hub store in Tonbridge, which gives him the flexibility to train and compete. “I feel like I’ve come a little bit every year,” he says.
Last year on the track in Brussels, Kingston ran 13:41.91 for 5000m and is hoping to run the same race again this summer, aiming for 13:30.
“I think the time should drop and will drop this summer, and I’d like to get in at 1:30 p.m.,” he says. “This summer I would also like to travel a little more. Sometimes I see people who I beat comfortably on the cross run much faster than me on the track.”
Kingston also flirted with the roads last year with a 64:35 half marathon at the Great North Run. “It was difficult.” he remembers. “I wanted to do the half and I went into it a bit naively with no fuel plan or anything. There was a terrible headwind for about 11 of the 13 miles and I was alone for about 10 miles as well.
“I basically blew up a little bit and just kept a decent time. I’m sure there’s a lot more out there when I have a few people around and no nasty headwinds. It was a good thing, but not really at the time I was expecting.”
For now, the marathon can wait. “It’s not really in my plans at the moment, although I might do another half marathon this year,” he says. “I can do a half marathon and recover pretty quickly, but for a marathon I have to drop everything else and make that the No. 1 goal.”
Still, you get the feeling she’d give it all up for the chance to run cross country at the Winter Olympics.
UKA Cross Challenge 2025-26 highlights
Cardiff – November 8
At just 17, Kenya’s Cynthia Chepkirui took victory in the senior women’s race as Megan Keith was the first Briton in fourth.
As the meeting is part of the World Athletics Cross Country Tour, there is a strong international element and the men’s race saw a one-two-three led by Kenyan Matthew Kipsang as Zac Mahamed finished fourth to the top Briton.
Innes Fitzgerald took 50-second wins in the women’s under-20 and under-17 races, while Holly Dixon and Jack Higgins won the one-mile races, which were British trials for the mixed relay at Euro Cross.
“Liverpool” – November 22
The Euro trials at Sefton Park saw Scott Beattie and Rory Leonard take 1st-2nd place in the men’s race.
Elsewhere, there were good wins for Kari Hughes ahead of Poppy Tank in the senior women’s race, Innes Fitzgerald in the women’s under-20 race and Michael Clarke in the men’s under-20 race ahead of William Rabjohns and Alex Lennon.
London – February 7
Parliament Hill was where Hugo Milner came back from a stress fracture injury to win the men’s race ahead of Richard Slade and James Kingston.
Eleanor Curran scored one of her biggest ever wins with an 11-second win in the senior women’s race ahead of Scout Adkin and Niamh Brown.
The under-20 wins, meanwhile, went to Jack Marwood and Emma Stewart.
Nottingham – March 7
Nottingham’s Wollaton Hall saw James Kingston and Jess Gibbon win senior titles. Kingston beat Jacob Kenn and Richard Slade, while Gibbon beat Eleanor Curran and Niamh Bridson-Hubbard.
Ava James and Alex Lennon took the under-20 wins, while Madison Kindler continued her fine winning streak in the girls’ under-13 race.
