Rink Babka

Richard ("Rink") Aldrich Babka (born 23 September, 1936 in Cheyenne, Wyoming) is an American track and field athlete and former world record holder in the discus throw. At the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome, Italy he won the silver medal in the men's discus.

Born of Czechoslovakian parents from the region of Bohemia, his family moved from Wyoming to Palo Alto, California when he was twelve years old. 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 on an athletic scholarship, and his achievements there earned him a multi-sport athletic scholarship offer from 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. He graduated with a B.S. degree from USC's School of Business, and did masters studies there at what is now the Marshall Graduate School of Business.

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.

References

* [http://www.rinkbabka.com/ Personal website]