Duke Kahanamoku

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Duke Kahanamoku
Duke Kahanamoku c. 1912
Personal information
Full nameDuke Paoa Kahinu Mokoe Hulikohola Kahanamoku
Nickname(s)"The Duke," "The Big Kahuna"
National team United States
Born(1890-08-24)August 24, 1890
Haleʻākala, Honolulu, Kingdom of Hawaii
DiedJanuary 22, 1968(1968-01-22) (aged 77)
Honolulu, Hawaii[1]
Height6 ft 1 in (185 cm)[1][2]
Weight190 lb (86 kg)[1]
Sport
SportSwimming
StrokesFreestyle
ClubWaikiki Beach Boys
Medal record
Representing the United States
Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place 1912 Stockholm 100 m freestyle
Gold medal – first place 1920 Antwerp 100 m freestyle
Gold medal – first place 1920 Antwerp 4×200 m freestyle
Silver medal – second place 1912 Stockholm 4×200 m freestyle
Silver medal – second place 1924 Paris 100 m freestyle

Duke Kahanamoku (August 24, 1890 – January 22, 1968), was a Hawaiian athlete who is called the inventor of modern surfing.[3] He was also on the United States Olympic team as a swimmer, and won several silver and gold medals.[4]

Contrary to some misinformation on the internet, Duke is not known as the Big Kahuna. He himself rejected that term, because he knew its meaning. The Big Kahuna is a character in the Gidget story, which is based on a portrayal of Tube Steak Tracy, a famous surfer of the '40s & '50s in Malibu.

References[change | change source]

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Murphy, Kelly with Hallie Fryd (2013). Historical Heartthrobs: 50 Timeless Crushes-From Cleopatra to Camus. USA: Zest Books. p. 109. ISBN 9781936976102.
  2. ↑ See, Jen. "5 Things You Didn't Know About Duke Kahanamoku". MensJournal.com. Men's Journal. Retrieved August 25, 2015.
  3. ↑ Hall, Sandra Kimberly. (2004). Duke: A Great Hawaiian. Honolulu, HI: Bess Press. ISBN 1-57306-230-8.
  4. ↑ "Duke Kahanamoku". Surfline.

Other websites[change | change source]

Media related to Duke Kahanamoku at Wikimedia Commons

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