Howard Payne

Andrew 'Howard' Payne (17 April 1931 – 1 March 1992) was an English Olympic track and field athlete. He specialised in the hammer throw event during his career and competed at three Olympic Games.

Biography He was born in Benoni, Gauteng (South Africa) and studied physics at the University of Birmingham. In 1971 he was a lecturer at the university.

Payne represented Great Britain in three consecutive Olympic Games, starting in 1964. He previously competed for Southern Rhodesia at the 1958 British Empire and Commonwealth Games.

Payne claimed the gold medal for England in the men's hammer throw event at three consecutive Commonwealth Games in 1962, 1966 and the 1970 British Commonwealth Games in Edinburgh, Scotland. He also represented England and won a silver medal, at the 1974 British Commonwealth Games in Christchurch, New Zealand.

Payne was 13 times British hammer throw champion from 1961 to 1974 after winning the British AAA Championships title. He won the title outright in 1964, 1969, 1970, 1971 and 1973 and was the best placed British athlete in 1961, 1962, 1963, 1965, 1966, 1967, 1968 and 1974.

He died in Birmingham aged 60. Payne was at one time married to discus thrower Rosemary Payne.

Archives Archives of Howard Payne are held at the Cadbury Research Library, University of Birmingham.