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

External links

Media related to Ken Carpenter (athlete) at Wikimedia Commons

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