Randy Starkman

Randy Starkman (1960 – April 16, 2012) was a Canadian sports journalist who reported on amateur sports and athletes for the Toronto Star newspaper. He was twice awarded a National Newspaper Award, first in 1993 for his reportage of Ben Johnson's second positive test for steroids, and in 1994 for a series on concussions suffered by hockey players. Starkman authored the book Let the Games Begin in 1994, and co-authored books with Eric Lindros and Currie Chapman. At the time of his death, he was working with Olympic athlete Clara Hughes on another book. Starkman died at age 51 on April 16, 2012, after a brief illness.

Career Born in 1960, Starkman began his career as a journalist working part-time for United Press Canada (UPC) while he attended Ryerson Polytechnical Institute in Toronto, Canada. It was during this posting to Europe that Starkman met his future wife, Mary Hynes, who was also working as an amateur sports journalist at that time. He won his second National Newspaper Award the following year for his series on concussion injuries in hockey. His fellow journalists came to rely on his extensive knowledge about amateur sports and athletes, At the same time, he gained the respect of amateur sports administrations.

Further recognition of Starkman's journalistic talents came in 2010 from Sports Media Canada, the Canadian branch of the Association Internationale de la Presse Sportive, for breaking the story that South Korean figure skater Yuna Kim had fired her coach Brian Orser.

Starkman worked with former Canadian Women's Ski Team coach Currie Chapman to write On the Edge, a history of the team under Chapman's leadership; the book was released prior to the 1988 Olympics. In 1991, he co-authored Fire and Ice with National Hockey League star Eric Lindros. He went on to write Let the Games Begin!, released prior to the 1994 Olympics, which was aimed at young readers. At the time of his death, he was working with Olympian Clara Hughes in preparation for writing a book about her athletic career. The 2015 Pan American Games organizers announced on July 2, 2015, that the press centre for the games, held in Starkman's home town of Toronto, Canada, would be named the Randy Starkman Media Centre.

Personal life Starkman was married to fellow journalist Mary Hynes. They have one daughter, Ella.

Following an assignment covering a swim meet in Montreal in April 2012, Starkman became ill and was admitted to hospital in Toronto. He died of pneumonia-related causes on April 16, 2012.