Paddock, Charlie

▪ American athlete

byname of  Charles William Paddock  

born Aug. 11, 1900, Gainesville, Texas, U.S.

died July 21, 1943, near Sitka, Alaska

      American sprinter, world-record holder for the 100-metre dash (1921–30) and the 200-metre dash (1921–26). He also held the world record for the 100-yard dash (1921, 1924–26) and the 220-yard dash (1921–26). In addition, he was a member of a world-record-holding 4 × 100-metre team (1920–24).

      Paddock ran for the University of Southern California (Los Angeles), from which he graduated in 1922. He served in the U.S. Field Artillery (1918–19) during World War I. At the 1920 Olympic Games in Antwerp, Belg., he won the gold medal for the 100-metre race, the silver medal for the 200-metre race, and a gold medal as a member of the 4 × 100-metre relay team. At the 1924 Olympic Games in Paris, he placed fifth in the 100-metre race and won the silver medal in the 200-metre race.

      After his retirement from running, Paddock went into the newspaper business and was a successful writer, editor, and publisher. He died in a plane crash while serving in the Marine Corps during World War II.

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