William Kenneth Carpenter (April 19, 1913 – March 15, 1984) was an American discus thrower.

In 1936 Carpenter won an Olympic gold medal,[1] and between 1936 and 1940 held the American record in the discus.

[3] Carpenter graduated from Compton High School, where he was a track and field star.

[3] Carpenter appears in Leni Riefenstahl's film Olympia about the 1936 Olympic Games.

He is also mentioned by Viktor Chemmel, a character in Markus Zusak's 2006 bestselling novel The Book Thief.