Richard Francis Ault (December 10, 1925 - July 16, 2007) was an American hurdler who finished fourth in the Men's 400 metres hurdles at the 1948 Summer Olympics.

He set a 440-yard hurdle world record of 52.2 on August 31, 1949 at Bislett Stadion in Oslo, Norway.

[1][2] Ault participated in track and field at the University of Missouri and had a second-place finish in the intermediates at the 1949 AAU.

[2] He taught at Highland Park High School, where he led the cross-country team to a state championship,[3] and later became a physical education professor at Westminster College.

He also coached track, cross-country, swimming, and golf at Westminster.