JAKARTA, Indonesia — South Africa’s Luke James took to the floor and vault at the 2025 FIG Artistic Gymnastics World Championships in Jakarta this week, representing his country with remarkable determination and composure, despite suffering a painful finger dislocation in the days leading up to competition.
At just 23 years old, James is among the very few South African male gymnasts to have competed at the prestigious global event, a proud milestone for both himself and the nation’s gymnastics community. The Capetonian athlete, now based in the United States on a scholarship at the University of Nebraska, has already made waves on the American collegiate circuit, collecting a series of standout performances.
A setback met with courage and composure
In the final stages of pre-event training, James dislocated his finger while performing a demanding Suarez skill on the parallel bars. It was a difficult moment, one that could have derailed months of preparation. But rather than step away, James made the tough decision to limit his participation to just two of his strongest events, the floor and the vault, and push through the discomfort to represent South Africa on the world stage.
“The dislocation happened on a Suarez skill on parallel bars,” he explained. “This is the second time I’ve dislocated a finger on this skill, which is upsetting, but as the skills get harder, that’s just the nature of the sport. The first thought that ran through my mind was, why is this happening now? My first concern was whether I could compete on all six events with the hurt finger, so immediately I just went into: okay, let’s get this thing healed and see if I can compete the all-around.”
After a few difficult days of recovery and assessment, he and his team made the hard call. “After a tough couple of days evaluating the finger and seeing if it would get better and ready for all-around, we decided to make the tough call to just drop to two events,” he said. “Luckily, my strongest events are the ones that don’t require me to use my finger, so that was the plus side to it. But it was definitely a mental blow. I knew that if I stayed mentally sharp and focused, I could still do well in those two events. So I just locked in and stayed focused on what I could do, because I can’t control these small things that happen.”
Standing tall under pressure
On Day 1 of the competition, which featured the men’s qualification rounds, James displayed the same calm determination that has defined his rise in recent years. He scored 11.9 on the floor (6.6 and 5.4), and delivered a solid 13.25 total in the vault (13.9 and 12.6).
While the results may not fully reflect what he was personally aiming for, they speak volumes about his perseverance. “I am a little disappointed in how I performed,” he admitted. “However, there is so much to learn in failure, and I try to approach it with the mindset of how can I use this to improve instead of dwelling? I gave myself 24 hours to be upset and disappointed, and then I flipped the script: how can I use this to be a better gymnast, a better person, a better competitor, a better teammate?”
A dream years in the making
For James, simply stepping onto the World Championships floor fulfilled a dream more than a decade in the making. “Competing at the World Championships for South Africa has been a dream of mine since I was a young boy, maybe from the age of ten,” he said. “I grew up watching guys from my club like Siphesihle Biyase, they were my heroes. They competed at the 2014 World Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, and that really inspired me. So yeah, it’s been a lifelong dream. It was definitely not the result I hoped for, but just getting to compete amongst my peers and some of the best in the world was an experience I’ll never take for granted. Getting to wear the South African flag on my chest is always an honour, and I couldn’t be more grateful.”
The African floor and vault champion, having captured both continental titles last year in Marrakech, Morocco, continues to prove himself as one of the continent’s leading gymnasts. His journey from the clubs of Cape Town to the bright lights of Jakarta underscores both his natural talent and his exceptional mindset.
Embracing the experience — Indonesia’s warmth leaves a mark
Beyond competition, James spoke fondly of the hospitality and cultural experience in Indonesia. “The arena was just stunning,” he said. “The colour scheme was so cool, it felt like a dream being there, at this massive event with TV crews and cameras everywhere. The equipment was quite hard for me to get used to, definitely different from what I’m used to in the States, but I just did my best over the week to adjust and get ready to compete. It was awesome.”
He added, “One of the biggest privileges and benefits of competing at the highest level is getting to travel the world and experience different cultures. The Indonesian culture is just beautiful, the people are so polite and hospitable, and it really did feel warm and welcoming from the minute I walked in. It was such a lovely experience competing out here.”
Beyond the scores — a mindset for the future
Even in disappointment, James showed remarkable maturity and self-awareness. “I think a big mistake that I made was maybe over-preparing,” he admitted. “I really beat my body down in the preparation for this competition, and it’s been a real struggle to stay healthy. But I’m grateful to my coaches and athletic trainer back in the US for keeping me going. Going forward, I’ll definitely be more conscious of looking after my body, making sure that when the time comes, I’m ready to compete and feel healthy.”
“With the finger, that’s something that’s kind of out of my control,” he added. “Mistakes and accidents happen in sport, and I’ll learn from them. It wasn’t the performance I wanted, but these things happen, and I’ll be better off because of it.”
A proud moment for South African gymnastics
South Africa’s representation at this year’s World Championships includes five athletes, four women and James as the sole male competitor. Among his teammates are Olympians Caitlin Rooskrantz and Naveen Daries, joined by Zelme Daries and Buthle Nhleko, who are both making their World Championships debuts.
Together, they’re part of a new generation proudly flying the South African flag on one of the biggest stages in world gymnastics, and for Luke James, in particular, this championship marks not an end, but an inspiring chapter in a story still being written.
“It wasn’t the result I hoped for,” James concluded with quiet resolve, “but representing South Africa on this stage means everything. And I’ll be back, stronger, smarter, and better for it.”
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