James Thompson (born 18 November 1986) is a South African rower. He attended school at St. Andrew's College, Grahamstown. He joined the Tuks rowing club and received a Sport Sciences degree from the University of Pretoria. Thompson won a gold medal in the Men's lightweight coxless four event at the 2012 Summer Olympics, with teammates John Smith, Matthew Brittain, and Sizwe Ndlovu.