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]

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Ken Carpenter

Carpenter in 1936
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	Discus throw
Club	USC Trojans, Los Angeles
Achievements and titles
Personal best	53.08 m (1936)[1][2]
Medal record Representing the  United States Olympic Games 1936 Berlin Discus throw

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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.