JAMES McLACHLAN went to Chicago on a sports scholarship as a triple jumper three years ago but was forced to abandon the event because his body could not stand the strain.

Yet he has already reached Scotland's qualifying standard for Glasgow 2014 after having refocused on the long jump.

Just 21, he cleared 7.86 metres in California last month, leaping to second on the Scottish all-time list behind the national record-holder Darren Ritchie. That's well beyond the Commonwealth qualifying distance of 7.65m, but McLachlan is already mapping out a career which aspires to major medals and a career in sports broadcasting or television.

This year's target is the European Under-23 championships in Finland where he hopes to go beyond eight metres. Ritchie, whose Scottish record is 8.01, is one of only two men to hold the Scottish best since 1968, but took eight seasons to get there from 7.86 (which he achieved at the same age as McLachlan). Jumpers are notoriously injury-prone, as Ritchie would testify having required metal pins and plates inserted in his take-off foot.

McLachlan is a prodigious talent, yet is typical of the hit-and-miss nature of its identification and development. "My dad was promoted to police inspector and we moved to Norfolk from Enfield. I loved sport but mostly football. I played for Cambridge and then Norwich's elite squad. I'd six weeks' trial with their academy when I was about 14. But then the jumping took off. I have no regrets at all. If I hadn't gone to Wymondham High School, I'm not sure I'd be doing athletics. I was jumping around in pe one day and it was suggested I join the local club."

The coach there, Dennis Costello, was a languages teacher at his school. He steered McLachlan to silver medals in the triple jump at the English Schools Championship and then gold in the long jump. Yet there was never any doubt about the boy's allegiance. "My brother and I were born in Middlesex but all four grandparents are Scottish."

Mum is from Erskine and dad from Campbeltown so, despite interest from English athletics, James kept the faith "I'm a proud Brit but I love Scotland, always have and always will." He has won medals and titles in both jumps at Scottish Championships, and won the Celtic International for Scotland at 16.

"Next year, I graduate in May and will be doing everything I can to be at my peak for the Commonwealths. It will be difficult to medal with Greg Rutherford and Mitch Watt [Olympic gold and silver last year] but I'll be working as hard as I can to finish in the top six and, if I can, grab a medal. I will need to be knocking on 8.20.

"I hope to stay in the sport as long as I possibly can. My family make the point that I'll have a degree and that, while my mind will be there forever, my body will not. I'll just have turned 22 when I graduate. So why not give it a shot and try for 2016, see how far I can take it.

"It's difficult to make a living unless you're very marketable and jump extremely well in major championships. It's tough to make a lot of money, which is a deterrent for a lot of young athletes, but that's not what it's about for me.

"Loyola signed me as triple jumper, but I had a back problem. Coaches tell me I'm more naturally talented at the triple, but it's a real pounder on the body, so I prefer the long jump. I do the triple only very occasionally, to fulfil college obligations. I never do any training for it. When you only try the triple a couple of times a year, your timing is rusty, and you tend to get injured more easily, so I'm not planning on going there."

Yet he cleared 15.58m in February, going sixth on the Scottish all-time list. Indeed, no Scot has won the national title with such a distance in more than 25 years. When future world record-holder Jonathan Edwards took the crown, aged 19 in 1985, he did so with 15.09m.

"Edwards was always my hero as a kid," says James. "I met him once at the Norfolk Show, and I can't ever remember being so star-struck.

"We used to get the day off school, that's farmers' boys for you. There was a London 2012 bus, and a tent. I'd just started jumping. I think my best was about 13 metres, and I said I was a triple-jumper. They told me Edwards was coming; I thought it was a wind-up. Then I saw him arrive, on his own, so I went up and spoke to him. I was very nervous, can't remember what I said, but I asked for some tips. He told me to stay upright on my last phase, which was very poor at the time. He signed my shirt, and I kept a photo on my phone. When I lost it, I was devastated."

He felt in shape for 7.90 12 months ago, but picked up a hamstring injury. "I took about seven weeks off, and then, having done nothing, ended up jumping 7.71. I think my body just needed time to recover from all the niggles.

"This year – I don't like to put numbers – I want to be consistent at 7.80/7.90. Come the European juniors, the NCAA regionals and nationals where the pressure is on, with some decent weather I can maybe stretch beyond 8.00 metres. That's what every jumper wants. I definitely feel I am in 8.00 shape."