Rink Babka

Richard Aldrich "Rink" Babka (born September 23, 1936) is a retired American discus thrower. A former world record holder, Babka also won a silver medal in the discus event at the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome.

Rink Babka
Personal information
Birth nameRichard Aldrich Babka
Nickname(s)Rink
NationalityAmerican
Born (1936-09-23) September 23, 1936
Cheyenne, WY
Height6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
Weight267 lb (121 kg)
Websitewww.rinkbabka.com
Sport
CountryUnited States
SportTrack and field
Event(s)Discus throw
College teamMenlo College
USC
Retired1969
Achievements and titles
Personal best(s)63.93 metres (209 ft 9 in)

He starred in football, basketball, baseball in addition to track and field at Palo Alto High School before graduating in 1954. He subsequently attended nearby Menlo College and the University of Southern California (USC). Knee injuries eventually obliged him to withdraw from USC's football and basketball teams, but as a discus thrower he continued to climb toward the top of the world rankings.

Babka continued to compete as a discus thrower until 1969, when he retired to devote himself to various business pursuits. He currently resides in California.

Babka is also an artist with works on display with the Art of the Olympians, which was founded by fellow Olympic discus thrower and American Olympics teammate Al Oerter.[1]

References

Records
Preceded by
Edmund Piątkowski
Men's Discus World Record Holder
August 12, 1960 – August 11, 1961
Succeeded by
Jay Silvester


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