Duke Kahanamoku: Hawaii’s “most loved son”
As part of its Black History Month coverage, Sports Gazette takes a look at legendary swimmer Duke Kahanamoku, who, legend has it, was Hawaii’s favourite son during his lifetime.
It is common for a celebrated Olympian’s memory to fade into oblivion as time goes by. No one cares about an athlete who competed at the Olympic Games over a 100 years ago.
But then again, Duke Paoa Kahanamoku was not just another athlete. On the contrary, he is one of the most decorated swimmers in the history of the modern Olympic Games. Duke was, as per author David Davis, Hawaii’s most revered person until Barack Obama came along.
Duke Kahanamoku prepares to dive into a pool at Antwerp 1920
Kahanamoku, who represented the US at the Olympics, is considered to be the father of modern surfing, served as a military police officer during World War II, and even gave surfing lessons to two of Franklin D. Roosevelt’s children.
But being an exceptional sportsperson did not stop him from encountering racism. Back in the day, Duke was refused service at restaurants in California – an American state that celebrates September 20 as Surfing Day annually.
In celebrating his legacy and influence, Sports Gazette invites its readers to dive into the early decades of the 20th century and explore the life and times of Duke Kahanamoku.
Antwerp 1920 : Duke makes history for the United States
The 1920 Olympic Games were awarded to Antwerp as recognition of the suffering of Belgians during World War I. And it was here that Kahanamoku stamped his authority in the “dark, cold and muddy” waters of the Olympic pool.
The American won comfortably in the quarter-final and semi-final of the 100m freestyle event, clocking an Olympic record of 01:01.8s in the former and matching his own world record with a time of 01:01.4s in the latter.
Saving his best form for the final, Duke clocked 01:00.4s on the way to shattering his own world record. It is worth noting that, in this race, all podium places went to Hawaiian swimmers.
Duke after setting the world record for the 100m freestyle swimming event at Antwerp 1920
Kahanamoku would have won gold that very day had it not been for Australian swimmer William Herald alleging that he had been obstructed by American competitor Norman Ross.
The final’s result was nullified and Ross disqualified. Five days later though, Kahanamoku recorded a time of 01:01.400s to win his second consecutive 100m freestyle Olympic gold medal in the rescheduled race.
The first time he had won gold in this event was at the 1912 Games in Stockholm. In that final, he was so far ahead of everyone that he stopped at the halfway point to survey his opponents, and still ended up winning by two metres.
The Hawaiian also won a silver and gold at the 1912 and 1920 Games respectively while competing in the 4x200m relay event.
In the 1920 4x200m relay final, he and his teammates won the race by a mammoth 21 seconds and set a new world record of 10:04.400s for the event.
Paris 1924: The changing of the guard
The 4x200m relay triumph in 1920 turned out to be his final Olympic gold, as he lost to compatriot Johnny Weismuller in the 100m freestyle event at Paris 1924 despite clocking the exact same time as he had four years ago.
Kahanamoku (right) and Johnny Weissmuller at the Paris 1924 Games
That race proved to be the changing of the guard – the 34-year-old Kahanamoku bowing out with a silver medal, as a 20-year-old Weismuller became the first person to swim 100 metres in under one minute at an Olympic Games.
Interestingly, that day, Duke shared the podium with his brother Sam Kahanamoku – all the medals once again being swept by American swimmers.
Duke (left) with his brother Sam at swimming tryouts in California for Paris 1924
Just before the race began, Duke told Weismuller: “Hey, the most important thing in this race is to get the American flag up there three times. Let’s do it”. And the rest, as they say, is history.
Hawaii, surfing and becoming a cultural icon
Growing up, Kahanamoku had two passions – swimming and surfing. The latter was hugely popular in Hawaii, but obscure elsewhere.
A Valspar Varnish advert featuring people surfing at Waikiki, Honolulu, Hawaii, 1922
He was a lifelong advocate for the inclusion of surfing at the Olympics. His dream finally came true over a century later when surfing made its debut at Tokyo 2020. Brazilian Italo Ferreira and American Carissa Moore won the inaugural men’s and women’s events respectively.
Carissa Moore celebrates winning the inaugural women’s surfing event at Tokyo 2020
Kahanamoku died of a heart attack on 22nd January 1968. But, even death could not separate him from his much loved element of water – he was finally laid to rest after his ashes were scattered in the ocean following a funeral procession in Honolulu.
Despite his sublime brilliance in the Olympic pool and his work to popularise surfing outside it, his story has been largely relegated to the untouched shelf in the Olympic library. His is a name that has been swept aside towards the margins of sporting recognition by the waves of time.
Participants run past Duke’s statue at Waikiki Beach during the 2016 Honolulu Marathon
Today, perhaps the most important monument to Kahanamoku is the 9-foot-tall bronze sculpture installed at Waikiki Beach in Hawaii. It casts an enormous shadow over its surroundings; much like Duke himself during his lifetime – be it in an Olympic pool or on his surfboard in the Pacific Ocean.
