Charles William Paddock (August 11, 1900 â€" July 21, 1943) was an
American athlete and two time Olympic champion.Paddock was born in
Gainesville, Texas to Charles H. and Lulu (Robinson) Paddock. His
family moved to Pasadena, California when he was a child. After
serving in World War I as a lieutenant of field artillery in the U.S.
Marines, Paddock studied at the University of Southern California.
There he became a member of the track and field team, and excelled in
the sprint events. He won the 100 and 200 m in the first major
sporting event after the war, the 1919 Inter-Allied Games, in which
soldiers of the Allied nations competed against each other. Paddock
was the first person named "The fastest man alive".In 1920, Paddock
represented his country at the 1920 Summer Olympics in Antwerp. In
Belgium, he had his greatest successes, winning the 100 m final, while
placing second in the 200 m event. With the American 4 × 100 m relay
team, Paddock won a third Olympic medal. Paddock became famous for his
unusual finishing style, leaping towards the finish line at the end of
the race.
American athlete and two time Olympic champion.Paddock was born in
Gainesville, Texas to Charles H. and Lulu (Robinson) Paddock. His
family moved to Pasadena, California when he was a child. After
serving in World War I as a lieutenant of field artillery in the U.S.
Marines, Paddock studied at the University of Southern California.
There he became a member of the track and field team, and excelled in
the sprint events. He won the 100 and 200 m in the first major
sporting event after the war, the 1919 Inter-Allied Games, in which
soldiers of the Allied nations competed against each other. Paddock
was the first person named "The fastest man alive".In 1920, Paddock
represented his country at the 1920 Summer Olympics in Antwerp. In
Belgium, he had his greatest successes, winning the 100 m final, while
placing second in the 200 m event. With the American 4 × 100 m relay
team, Paddock won a third Olympic medal. Paddock became famous for his
unusual finishing style, leaping towards the finish line at the end of
the race.
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