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| Olympic medal record | ||
| Men's Athletics | ||
|---|---|---|
Competitor for  United States |
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| Gold | 1956 Melbourne | 4x100 m relay |
| Silver | 1952 Helsinki | 200 metres |
| Silver | 1956 Melbourne | 100 metres |
| Bronze | 1956 Melbourne | 200 metres |
Walter Thane Baker (born October 4, 1931) is a former American athlete and winner of the gold medal in the 4x100 m relay at the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne, Australia, with a new world record of 39.5 seconds. At those Olympics Baker also won a silver medal in the 100-meter and a bronze in the 200-meter. At the 1952 Summer Olympics in Helsinki, he won a silver medal in the 200-meter.
Baker was born in Elkhart, Kansas. In 1953, as a Kansas State University student, Baker won the NCAA championship in the 220 yards (200 m), and in 1956 he won the AAU championships in 200 m. Baker also won numerous conference titles at Kansas State, and was a four-time All American.
Before the Melbourne Olympics, Baker equaled Jesse Owens's long-standing 100 m world record time of 10.2 seconds, and also twice equaled the 200 m world record of 20.6.
Baker is enshrined in the USATF Masters Hall of Fame[1] and the Kansas Sports Hall of Fame[2].
He also has a track & field named after him in his home town of Elkhart, Kansas
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