Sports, games, and recreation

Charles Archer Arentz

Charles Archer Arentz (1878–1939), Norwegian sailor and ship captain; won Olympic gold in the 10-metre (1919 rating) class aboard Mosk II at Antwerp 1920, the event's only entrant.

Charles Asati (born 1946, Kisii, Kenya) is a Kenyan former sprinter and Kenya Army warrant officer who won 4x400 m relay gold at the 1972 Munich Olympics, silver in 1968, and four Commonwealth Games golds in the 400 m and relay.

Charles Atkin

Charles Sydney Atkin (1889-1958), English field hockey fullback and doctor; won gold for Great Britain at the 1920 Antwerp Olympics, won a Cambridge blue, and joined the Sheffield family medical practice.

Charles Austin

Charles Austin (Charles Allen Austin, born 1967), American high jumper, 1996 Olympic champion with 2.39 m Olympic record; holds US record 2.40 m (1991); 1991 world champion; later trainer in San Marcos, Texas.

Charles Axtell

Charles Sumner Axtell (1859-1932), American sport shooter from Springfield, Massachusetts; 1908 Olympic gold medalist in team free pistol and US Revolver Association founder and president, 1911-1913.

Charles Bacon

Charles Bacon, full name Charles James Bacon, Jr. (1885–1968), was an American middle-distance runner and hurdler who won Olympic gold in the 400 meters hurdles at the 1908 London Games.

Charles Barkley

Charles Barkley, born 1963 in Leeds, Alabama, is a Hall of Fame power forward who played 16 NBA seasons with the 76ers, Suns, and Rockets, won the 1993 MVP, and became a TNT Inside the NBA analyst.

Charles Bartlett

Charles Henry Bartlett (1885-1968), English track cyclist of the Polytechnic CC, won the 100 km paced event at the 1908 London Olympics in world record time 2-41:48.6 despite puncturing at 70 km, taking the Prince of Wales Challenge Cup.

Charles Beachcroft

Charles Beachcroft, born Charles Beachey Kay and later the music hall entertainer Jack Trent, captained the Devon and Somerset Wanderers to gold in cricket at the 1900 Paris Olympics.

Charles Bennett

Charles Bennett (1871-1948), English runner of Finchley Harriers, first Briton to win Olympic track and field gold: 1,500 m in world record 4:06.2 at Paris 1900, plus 5,000 m team race gold and steeplechase silver.

Charles Bennett (fighter)

Charles "Krazy Horse" / "Felony" Bennett (Charles Daniel Bennett Jr., born 1979) is an American MMA and bare-knuckle fighter who debuted in 1999, fought in PRIDE, KOTC, EliteXC, and RIZIN, and never won a title.

Charles Berglund

Charles Berglund (Ralph Douglas Charles Berglund, "Challe"), Swedish ice hockey center born 1965, Olympic gold captain 1994, 1991 World Champion, five Swedish titles with Djurgården, later coach and Hall of Fame inductee #128.

Charles Billings

Charles W. Billings (1866-1928), American trap shooter with the New York Athletic Club; won team trap gold for the United States at Stockholm 1912, placed 42nd individually, and was the first mayor of Oceanport, New Jersey.

Charles Bouvier

Charles Bouvier (1898–1964) was a Swiss sportsman who played football for Servette FC and Switzerland, then won four-man bobsleigh gold at the 1936 Winter Olympics in Garmisch-Partenkirchen.

Charles Bugbee

Charles G. Bugbee (1887–1959) was a British water polo player and City of London policeman who won Olympic gold with Great Britain at Stockholm 1912 and Antwerp 1920 and also competed at Paris 1924.

Charles Burnell

Charles Desborough "Don" Burnell (1876-1969), English rower, 1908 London Olympic eights gold medalist with Leander Club, four-time winning Oxford Boat Race oarsman; father of 1948 champion Dickie Burnell.

Charles Chandler

Charles Chandler (1911–1982), full name Charles Robert Chandler, American Olympic rower; gold medalist in the men's eights for the University of California, Berkeley at the 1932 Los Angeles Olympics; also names of a chemist, lawyer, and runner.

Charles Collignon

Charles Edgard Collignon (1877-1945), French épée fencer of Salle Baudry, Paris; won team épée gold for France at the 1908 London Olympics, his only Games, and judged épée at Paris 1924.

Charles Coste

Charles Coste (1924-2025), French track and road cyclist, 1948 London Olympic gold medalist in the 4,000 m team pursuit with Adam, Blusson, and Decanali; 1949 Grand Prix des Nations winner; oldest living Olympic champion at his death.

Charles Crichton

Charles Crichton (Charles William Henry Crichton, 1872-1958), British sailor and 10th Hussars officer; won 1908 Olympic gold in the 6-metre class as crew of Dormy with McMeekin and Laws.

Charles De Ketelaere

Charles De Ketelaere, Belgian footballer born 2001 in Bruges; attacking midfielder/forward, 192 cm, for Atalanta and Belgium. Club Brugge product, brief AC Milan spell, Atalanta record three goals at the 2026 World Cup.

Charles Delporte

Charles Jules Delporte (1893–1960) was a Belgian fencer who won the 1924 Olympic individual épée gold and team épée silver, and a 1930 world team title.

Charles Demmings

Charles Demmings (born 2003), known as Chuck, is an NFL cornerback for the Minnesota Vikings, drafted 163rd overall in 2026 from Stephen F. Austin, a first-team FCS All-American with 9 college interceptions.

Charles Devendeville

Charles Devendeville (Charles Désiré Devendeville, 1882–1914), French swimmer of Tritons Lillois who won gold in underwater swimming at the 1900 Paris Olympics, the event's only appearance, and was killed in action at Reims in World War I.

Charles Dixon

Charles Percy Dixon (1873–1939), British tennis player from Grantham: four Olympic tennis medals including 1912 mixed doubles gold, Wimbledon doubles champion 1912–13 with Roper Barrett, and captain of Britain's 1912 Davis Cup-winning team.

Charles Dvorak

Charles Dvorak (Charles Edward Dvorak, 1878-1969) was an American pole vaulter from the University of Michigan who won the 1904 Olympic gold at 3.50 m and was the first vaulter to use a bamboo pole.

Charles Elwes

Charles (Charlie) Elwes, born 1997 in Randburg, South Africa, is a British rower, Leander Club, Yale and Oxford (Oriel). Olympic gold in the men's eight at Paris 2024, bronze at Tokyo 2020, two world and four European titles.

Charles Ericksen

Charles Ericksen (Karl Fredrik Eriksen, 1875–1916), Norwegian-born American wrestler of the Brooklyn Norwegier Turnverein; won 1904 Olympic freestyle welterweight gold for the USA while a Norwegian citizen, later credited by Norway.

Charles Fonville

Charles Edward Fonville (born 27 April 1927), American shot putter, Detroit native, University of Michigan 1946-50; set world record 17.68 m at 1948 Kansas Relays, missed 1948 London Olympics through back injury.