{{short description|British rower}} {{distinguish|James Walker (rower)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=September 2018}} {{Infobox sportsperson | name = Jim Walker OLY | full_name = James David Campbell Walker | image = 250px | caption = Jim Walker training on the River Thames, Hammersmith (November 1996) | nationality = British | sport = Rowing | club = Molesey Boat Club<br/>Leander Club<br/>University of London Boat Club<br/>Imperial College Boat Club | coach = Sean Bowden<br/>Marty Aitken<br/>Jürgen Gröbler<br />Harry Mahon<br />Bill Mason | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1968|8|25|df=yes}} | birth_place = Chester, England | death_date = | death_place = | education = King's School, Chester | alma_mater = Imperial College London (BSc) Imperial College Centre for Environmental Technology (MSc) | medaltemplates = {{MedalSport | Men's rowing }} {{MedalCountry|{{GBR2}}}} {{MedalCompetition | World Rowing Championships}} {{MedalBronze | 1989 Bled | Eight}} {{MedalCompetition | Lucerne International Regatta}} {{MedalGold | 1990 Rotsee| Eight}} {{MedalCompetition | San Diego Crew Classic}} {{MedalGold | 1990 San Diego| Elite Eight}} {{MedalCompetition | World Junior Rowing Championships}} {{MedalSilver | 1986 Račice | Coxless Four}} }}
==Biography== '''James David Campbell Walker''' (born 25 August 1968) is a British former Olympic oarsman and subsequently clean energy developer from Chester. He was active in international rowing between 1985 and 2000.
==Rowing career== Walker won a bronze medal in the Men's Eight event at the 1989 World Rowing Championships and competed in the same boat class at the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona and the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta.<ref name="SportsRef">{{cite Sports-Reference |url=https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/wa/jim-walker-1.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200418041206/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/wa/jim-walker-1.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=18 April 2020 |title=Jim Walker Olympic Results |accessdate=14 September 2018}}</ref>
He competed for Great Britain at two Junior World Championships (1985 and 1986), the 1987 Under-23 World Championships, the 1987 World Student Games, six World Championships from 1989 to 1995, and two Goodwill Games in 1990 and 1994.<ref>World Rowing website: Athlete Profiles [https://worldrowing.com/athlete/11669 "Jim Walker"] accessed 21 July 2024</ref> He was a world junior silver medalist in 1986, competing in a British four with Matt Brittin, Jonny Searle and Mark Pierce.
During his rowing career he competed for clubs including King's Chester,<ref>King's School Chester 'Herald' newsletter [https://www.kingschester.co.uk/uploads/flippingBooks/files/HeraldOlympic/theHerald.pdf "Elite Olympians past and present (page 8)"] 2012</ref> Imperial College, University of London,<ref>University of London Boat Club web site [https://web.archive.org/web/20190502233931/https://ulbc.co.uk/2017/06/29/ul-row-over/ "UL Grand Winners and Olympians to row over at HRR"] 29 June 2017</ref> Leander Club and Molesey Boat Club.<ref name="SportsRef" />
He is a four-time winner at Henley Royal Regatta, including the Stewards' Challenge Cup in 1989 and 1991,<ref>Wikipedia "Stewards' Challenge Cup"</ref> the Prince Philip in 1993 and the Visitors' in 1987. His 1989 winning time of 6.28 made his ULBC/OUBC crew with Jonny Searle, Rupert Obholzer and Jonny Hulls the first four to finish under six and a half minutes, breaking the previous Stewards' record by 12 seconds.
As part of the debate following the Atlanta Olympics about the then chronic lack of funding for elite sport in Britain,<ref name="The Guardian 2012">{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2012/jul/24/london-2012-team-gb-atlanta|title=London 2012: how Team GB's fortunes turned around after disaster in Atlanta |website=The Guardian|first=Owen|last=Gibson|date=24 July 2012|access-date=28 July 2024}}</ref> Walker was identified by the Guardian newspaper as one of five examples of unfunded Team GB athletes deserving of National Lottery support for the 1996-2000 Olympic cycle, alongside sailor Sir Ben Ainslie, swimmer Paul Palmer, sprinter Angie Thorp and canoeist Lynn Simpson.<ref name="The Guardian 1996">{{cite web|url= https://archive.org/details/TheGuardian1996UKEnglish/Nov%2015%201996%2C%20The%20Guardian%2C%20%23536%2C%20UK%20%28en%29/page/15 |title= Redgrave warns on £40m hold-up (archived from original) |website=The Guardian|first=John|last=Duncan|date=15 November 1996|access-date=31 July 2024}}</ref>
He was a member of the British sculling squad in 1998, was a reserve for the 1999 World Championships sweep team and also a final trialist for the British team for the 2000 Olympics, where he was ultimately unsuccessful in securing selection for a third Games in Sydney.<ref>Will Buckley, [https://www.theguardian.com/observer/sport/story/0,6903,366551,00.html "Missing the Boat to Sydney"] ''The Observer'', 10 September 2000</ref>
==Sustainability career== After the 1996 Olympics Walker returned to Imperial College to study Environmental Technology, working subsequently for six years in consultancy,<ref name="LinkedIn" >LinkedIn profile [https://www.linkedin.com/in/jimwalker99/ "Jim Walker"] retrieved July 2024</ref> the first three of which he combined with seeking selection for the Sydney Olympic Games. He retired from rowing in 2000. {{Quote frame| "I love how The Climate Group started, with co-founders Jim Walker and Steve Howard going from working on a borrowed laptop in an office rented using a credit card, to bringing together leaders from around the world to combat climate change"|Sir Richard Branson| Low carbon innovation and leadership|Virgin Group blog, 2014<ref name= "Branson" >Sir Richard Branson, [https://web.archive.org/web/20140325155940/https://www.virgin.com/richard-branson/low-carbon-innovation-and-leadership "Low Carbon Innovation and Leadership"] ''Virgin Group website'', April 2014, archived from the original</ref>}} Together with Dr. Steve Howard and Alison Lucas, Walker co-founded the international organization The Climate Group in 2004, serving for 10 years as COO in London, Beijing and the United States.<ref name="Branson" /><ref>{{cite web |url=http://theclimategroup.org:80/433.php |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041021140000/http://theclimategroup.org/433.php |url-status=dead |archive-date=21 October 2004 |title=The Climate Group |date=21 October 2004 |access-date=3 January 2019 }}</ref><ref name="LinkedIn" /> In 2014 he worked as founding CEO to help establish the We Mean Business coalition, a campaign that worked with major companies on the United Nations Paris Agreement on climate.<ref>Steve Howard, [https://www.wemeanbusinesscoalition.org/blog/profiles-paris-steve-howard-helping-business-force-good/ "Profiles of Paris: Helping business be a force for good"] ''We Mean Business website'', June 2018</ref>
From 2007 to 2017 he was a final jury member for the annual Dutch Postcode Lottery Green Challenge, one of the world’s biggest sustainability competitions by prize value.<ref>Postcode Lottery website [https://www.greenchallenge.info/articles/news/869-it-s-about-the-right-team-the-right-idea-and-the-right-timing interview with Jim Walker], September 2017, accessed July 2024</ref> Until 2023 he led partnerships and fundraising efforts for the United Nations-affiliated initiative SEforALL, reporting to two successive Special Representatives of the UN Secretary-General.<ref>World Rowing web site [https://worldrowing.com/2022/12/09/where-are-they-now-jim-walker/ "Where are they now: Jim Walker"] December 2022</ref><ref name="LinkedIn" /> {{plain image with caption|File:Marty Pickett, Coen van Oostrom, José María Figueres Olsen, Jim Walker and Leila Janah.jpg|caption= Walker (second from right) with fellow judges Marty Pickett, Coen van Oostrom, former President of Costa Rica José María Figueres and Leila Janah. Postcode Lottery Green Challenge, Amsterdam, September 2012.|align=left|caption position=bottom|triangle=triangle|triangle color=rgba(36,104,24,1)|upright=2}}
==Rowing results== {| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" |- !width=50|Year !width=200|Event !width=200|Venue !width=50|Boat class !width=50|Result |- | 1985 || Junior World Championships || Brandenburg, East Germany || 2- || 8th |- | 1986 || Junior World Championships || Roudnice/Racice, Czechoslovakia || 4- || Silver |- | 1987 || Under-23 World Championships || Aiguebelette, France || 4- || 5th |- | 1989 || World Championships || Bled, Yugoslavia || 8o || Bronze |- | 1990 || San Diego Crew Classic || San Diego, USA || 8o || Gold |- | 1990 || Lucerne International Regatta || Lucerne, Switzerland || 8o || Gold |- | 1990 || Goodwill Games || Seattle, USA || 8o, 4+ || - |- | 1990 || World Championships || Lake Barrington, Tasmania, Australia || 8o || 4th |- | 1991 || Grunau International Regatta || Grunau, Berlin, Germany || 4- || Gold |- | 1991 || World Championships || Vienna, Austria || 4- || 7th |- | 1992 || Olympic Games || Barcelona, Spain || 8o || 6th |- | 1993 || World Championships || Roudnice/Racice, Czech Republic || 8o || 6th |- | 1994 || Goodwill Games || Saint Petersburg, Russia || 8o || - |- | 1994 || World Championships || Indianapolis, USA || 8o || 8th |- | 1995 || World Championships || Tampere, Finland || 8o || 6th |- | 1996 || Olympic Games || Atlanta, USA || 8o || 8th |- | 1999 || World Championships || St. Catherine’s, Canada || Reserve || n/a |}
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== * {{sports links}}
{{Authority control}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Walker, Jim}} Category:1968 births Category:Living people Category:British male rowers Category:Olympic rowers for Great Britain Category:Rowers at the 1992 Summer Olympics Category:Rowers at the 1996 Summer Olympics Category:Sportspeople from Chester Category:World Rowing Championships medalists for Great Britain Category:Members of Leander Club