13 Facts About Brian Whittle

Brian Ian Whittle was born on 26 April 1964 and is a Scottish politician and former athlete, who has been a Member of the Scottish Parliament for the South Scotland region since 2016.

Brian Whittle competed at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul.

Brian Whittle was born in 1964 growing up in the Scottish town of Troon.

Brian Whittle's father was a sprinter until his late teens.

Whilst at school, Brian Whittle tried a wide range of sports, enjoying many of them but it was apparent that he had a natural talent for running.

Brian Whittle has maintained that his talent lay in his discipline and ability to train.

Brian Whittle was educated at Marr College in Troon and went on to read Chemistry at The University of Glasgow and Kilmarnock College.

Brian Whittle finished 1st in his heat, 3rd in the quarter-final, but did not progress past the semi-final.

Brian Whittle ran the third leg of the race with one shoe, running a personal best leg time of 45.09.

Brian Whittle moved to 800 m after the 1988 Olympic Games, and ran in the final of the 1990 Commonwealth Games 800 m in New Zealand, where he finished fourth ahead of Sebastian Coe and Tom McKean.

Brian Whittle ran the 800 m in the 1991 World Championships in Tokyo.

Brian Whittle was an international schools' high jumper, and competed in the 200m at the 1986 Commonwealth Games, making the semi-final.

Brian Whittle's run of 45.98 seconds for the 400 metres indoors in Hungary in 1988 stood as the Scottish indoor record for 37 years until it was beaten by Brodie Young in February 2025.