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Duke Paoa Kahinu Mokoe Hulikohola Kahanamoku (August 24, 1890 – January 22, 1968) was a Hawaiian competition swimmer who popularized the sport of surfing. A Native Hawaiian, he was born to a minor noble family less than three years before the overthrow of the Hawaiian Kingdom.
Duke Kahanamoku (left) receiving a gold medal from King Albert I of Belgium at the Olympics in Antwerp, 1920. (more) Kahanamoku set three universally recognized world records in the 100-yard freestyle between July 5, 1913, and September 5, 1917 (53 seconds; broken by Johnny Weissmuller in 1922).
Olympic Champion. A swimmer of unprecedented natural talent, Duke burst onto the scene by crushing world records by 4.6 seconds in his very first swim race in Honolulu harbor’s open waters. His Olympic career was equally phenomenal: spanning two decades, four Games, and six medals.
Won Olympic gold medal and set world record for 100-meter freestyle, Stockholm; also won a silver medal on the 4 x 200-meter freestyle relay team. Introduced surfing to U.S.’s Atlantic coast.
Sep 11, 2020 · At the Antwerp 1920 Games, Hawaiian champion Duke Kahanamoku became the first swimmer to win the Olympic 100m freestyle twice in a row. This came after his first title eight years earlier in Stockholm.
Aug 24, 2015 · Duke Kahanamoku, the Olympic swimming star, whose international sports career spanned 20 years and who became Hawaii’s best-known citizen, died today at Kaiser Foundation Hospital.
Swimmer Duke Kahanamoku of Hawaii made his first Olympic appearance in 1912. Competing in the 100m freestyle, he equalled the world record in a qualifying heat.
Duke Kahanamoku was a swimmer and surfer who popularized the sport of surfing, and won five Olympic medals, including three golds. He set three world records in the 100-yard freestyle between 1913 and 1917.
Kahanamoku, nicknamed "The Duke" and "The Big Kahuna," is considered the father of modern surfing. The Hawaiian won five Olympic medals as a swimmer but also showed off in the movie industry, politics, and business life. Duke had five brothers and three sisters.
Duke Kahanamoku, who was named after the Duke of Edinburgh, was the first great Hawaiian swimmer. In 1911, swimming in the open sea but without any tidal advantage, he bettered the world 100y record by almost five seconds.
