Ken Patera

Ken Patera won a gold medal in the Unlimited class at the 1971 Pan-American Games and a silver medal at the 1971 World Championships. He once famously stated that he was only defeated by Vasily Alekseyev because Alekseyev’s doctors provided him with better performance-enhancing drugs. He later became a well-known professional wrestler in the United States, and also competed with some success in strongman contests. He had started in track & field and was a fairly good shot putter while at Brigham Young University with a personal best of 20.10 (65-11½) in 1972, and competed at the 1968 Olympic Trials in the shot put, placing sixth.