Kahanamoku, Duke P.
Surfing, Swimming
b. Aug. 24, 1890, Honolulu, HI
d. Jan. 22, 1968
Kahanamoku left Hawaii to begin competing on the mainland in 1912, and many were surprised to see he used the American crawl stroke, which had only recently been developed by Charles M. Daniels. The stroke had been used by Hawaiian natives for a long time, possibly for centuries, and Kahanamoku had learned it as a child.
After winning the national indoor championship in the 100-yard free style in 1912, Kahanamoku won a gold medal in the 100-meter at the Olympics and was also a member of the 4 by 200-meter relay team. He was the national outdoor 100-yard champion in 1916, 1917, and 1920.
World War I canceled the 1916 Olympics, but Kahanamoku won two gold medals in 1920, in the 100-meter freestyle and in the 4 by 200-meter relay. He set a world record of 1:00.4 in the 100-meter finals, which took place on his birthday.
In 1924, at the age of thirty-four, Kahanamoku won a silver medal in the 100-meter and his brother Sam won the bronze. The gold medalist was Johnny Weismuller. Kahanamoku was an alternate on the Olympic water polo teams in 1928 and 1932.
An excellent surfer, Kahanamoku is believed to have invented wind-surfing, also known as board-sailing, in which a small sail is attached to a surfboard, and he was the first to wake-surf behind a motorboat. As a Red Cross instructor in water safety, he traveled all over the world and introduced surfing to many countries.
Kahanamoku had a small career in the movies, usually playing Polynesian chiefs. He later returned to Hawaii and was the sheriff of Honolulu for twenty years.