| Birth Name: | Martin Girvan |
| Birth Date: | 17 April 1960 |
| Birth Place: | Southend-on-Sea, England |
| Country: | |
| Sport: | Athletics |
| Club: | WBAC, Wolverhampton |
Martin Girvan (born 17 April 1960) is a British former athlete who specialised in the hammer throw. He represented both Great Britain and Northern Ireland in international competition.
Girvan had a personal best throw of 77.54m, set in Wolverhampton 1984, breaking both the British and Commonwealth records.[1] His British record stood for 31-years.[2]
He competed at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles and finished ninth in the final. His best attempt of 72.32m was registered with his second throw.[3]
In addition to his Olympic appearance he also won silver medals at the 1982 and 1986 Commonwealth Games.[4]
Outspoken against drugs in sport, in the late 1980s he made allegations of drug taking and cover-up in athletics. Girvan claimed that earlier in the decade, in order to test suspicions he had, he asked British athletics official Andy Norman prior to testing at a meet in Crystal Palace that his results would be "embarrassing", which he says prompted Norman to organise for his urine sample to be switched with another.[5] [6]
In another allegation, Girvan stated that leading hammer thrower Yuriy Sedykh once advised him on what type of drugs to take, during a coaching seminar.[7] [8]
Both Norman and Sedykh denied the allegations.[5] [8]