Ken Carpenter (athlete)

Ken Carpenter

Carpenter at the 1936 Olympics
Personal information
Born April 19, 1913
Compton, California, U.S.
Died March 15, 1984 (aged 70)
Buena Park, California, U.S.
Alma mater University of Southern California
Height 190 cm (6 ft 3 in)
Weight 102 kg (225 lb)
Sport
Sport Athletics
Event(s) Discus throw
Club USC Trojans, Los Angeles
Achievements and titles
Personal best(s) 53.08 m (1936)[1][2]
Medal record
Representing the  United States
Olympic Games
1936 Berlin Discus throw

William Kenneth "Ken" Carpenter (April 19, 1913 – March 15, 1984) was an American discus thrower. He won the NCAA and AAU titles in 1935 and 1936, becoming the first two-time NCAA champion in a weight throw event from the University of Southern California (USC). In 1936 Carpenter won an Olympic gold medal,[1] and between 1936 and 1940 held the American record in the discus.[3]

Carpenter graduated from Compton High School, where he was a track and field star. After attending USC, he went on to serve in the United States Navy, and then began a 33-year-long career as a coach and teacher at the College of the Sequoias and Compton Community College. In 2003 he was inducted into the USC Athletic Hall of Fame.[3]

Carpenter appears in Leni Riefenstahl's film Olympia about the 1936 Olympic Games. He is also mentioned by Viktor Chemmel, a character in Markus Zusak's 2006 bestselling novel The Book Thief.

References

  1. 1 2 Ken Carpenter. sports-reference.com
  2. ↑ Kenneth Carpenter. trackfield.brinkster.net
  3. 1 2 2003 Inductees For USC Athletic Hall Of Fame Announced. usctrojans.com (October 19, 2002)


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