,
County Clare,
IrelandHe competed for the United States in the
1912 Summer Olympics held in
Stockholm,
Sweden in the shot put where he won the gold medal. He also took part in the shot put (both hands) competition where the distance thrown with each hand was added together. This was the only time this event was held in the Olympic program, and McDonald finished second behind teammate
Ralph Rose who had finished second to him in the shot competition. McDonald returned 8 years later after World War I to compete in the
1920 Summer Olympics in
Antwerp,
Belgium. Here he won the gold medal in the
56 lb weight throw in the second and final time this competition was held in the Olympic program. McDonald continued to be a nationally competitive athlete well into his 50s. At the age of , McDonald beat his old rival
Matt McGrath to win the
weight throw for distance at the
1933 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships. It was his 26th senior national championship meet, and the
Omaha World-Herald noted that he had gray hair at the time of his last victory. Pat McDonald died in 1954 at age 75 and was interred at
Gate of Heaven Cemetery in
Hawthorne, New York. He was inducted into the
National Track and Field Hall of Fame in 2012. ==See also==