Matt Simson  Matthew Simson (born 28 May 1970) is a male British former shot putter. He was the gold medallist in the event at the 1994 Commonwealth Games, which he won with his career best throw of . Simson was a bronze medallist at the European Athletics Junior Championships in 1989 and won the silver at the 1991 Summer Universiade. At senior level he represented Great Britain at the 1997 IAAF World Indoor Championships and the 1989 European Athletics Indoor Championships. He studied at the University of Florida and competed for the Florida Gators while there. Simson began to compete in shot put as a teenager at Thurrock Harriers in Grays, Essex. He won the junior (under-15s) category at the 1984 English Schools Championships, was the intermediate (under-17s) champion in 1986, then succeeded Simon Williams to the under-19s English Schools' title in 1987. He established himself as the top young shot putter of his generation, winning four straight titles at the AAA Junior Championships and three straight AAA Junior Indoor titles. He set national indoor age bests for 16-year-olds in 1987 and 17-year-olds in 1988. In international competition he placed seventh at the 1987 European Athletics Junior Championships before improving to take the bronze medal at the 1989 edition. He was fifth in the shot put at the 1988 World Junior Championships in Athletics. Growing to a height of , Simson established himself at senior level in the 1989 season. That year he was the winner at the AAA Indoor Championships with a throw of . He was also runner-up to Paul Edwards at the UK Athletics Championships and second to Simon Williams at the AAA Championships. He also made his senior international debut, competing at the 1989 European Athletics Indoor Championships where he came in eleventh place. He improved his personal best to in 1990. He began studying in the United States at the University of Florida and competed athletically for their Florida Gators team. He placed third at the NCAA Men's Indoor Track and Field Championship in 1991, throwing a best of . He achieved a new best of in Tallahassee in May and placed in the top five at the Bislett Games and Athletissima meet in Europe that summer. He was over nineteen metres again at the 1991 Summer Universiade held in Sheffield and was the silver medallist behind Soviet Union's Aleksandr Klimenko. He was second to Paul Edwards at both the AAA and UK Championships that year. He missed most of the 1992 season, bar a pair of third-place finishes at the AAA Championships and the 1992 European Athletics U23 Cup.