Longtime Toronto Star reporter dies

Randy Starkman, a longtime reporter for the Toronto Star known for his wide-ranging coverage of amateur sports, has died. He was 51.

The Star said the two-time National Newspaper Award winner became ill after returning from the Canadian Olympic swimming trials in Montreal earlier this month.

Diagnosed with pneumonia, Starkman died Monday at St. Michael’s Hospital in Toronto.

Olympic champion kayaker Adam van Koeverden wrote in a blog: “Randy didn’t just write about amateur sport, he truly loved it. He was a steadfast devotee. He loved us, and we loved him right back.”

Starkman covered 12 Olympics.