Paul Edwards (shot putter)

Paul Edwards

Personal information
Born	16 February 1959
Medal record Men's Athletics Representing Wales Commonwealth Games 1990 Auckland Shot Put

Paul Michael Edwards (born 16 February 1959 in Chiswick, Greater London) is a retired professional athlete who competed in the men's shot put event during his career. He competed for both Wales and England during his career and twice represented Great Britain at the Summer Olympics: 1988 and 1992. Edwards was affiliated with the Walton Athletic Club and Belgrave Harriers in London. He represented Great Britain 43 times and won 11 AAA titles and 5 UK titles. In addition, he also represented Great Britain in decathlon and held Welsh national records at shot put, discus and decathlon and won 9 Welsh titles.

Doping

In 1994 Edwards failed two drugs tests. The first sample was from the 1994 European Athletics Championships in Helsinki and was positive for a cocktail of banned substances, including anabolic steroids, raised testosterone and the stimulant pseudoephedrine. The second sample was from two days later, home in Britain. Edwards was given a four-year ban from sports for these anti-doping rule violations. In 1997, while he was still banned, he was tested out of competition and was found to be positive for testosterone. He subsequently received a lifetime doping ban.

Edwards refutes all wrongdoing and has previously raised Freedom Of Information act requests to Kings College London to help clear his name; it has also been the subject of parliamentary questions. According to the previously referenced Daily Mail article, May 2009: "Prof Cowan admitted that contemporaneous calibration data had not been collected in 1997 after all".

A legal ruling from the British High Courts of Justice dated 29 November 2013

Court Ruling

further substantiates the irregularities which form the basis of Edwards ongoing efforts to clear his name.