Birth name Richard Aldrich Babka Country United States Height 1.96 m Nickname(s) Rink Sport Track and field Weight 121 kg | Nationality American Name Rink Babka Retired 1969 Website www.rinkbabka.com Role Olympian | |
Born September 23, 1936 (age 88) ( 1936-09-23 ) Cheyenne, WY Olympic medals Athletics at the 1960 Summer Olympics – Men's discus throw | ||
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.
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.