Duke Kahanamoku Biography

(born Aug. 26, 1890, near Waikiki, Hawaii [now in the United States]—died Jan. 22, 1968, Honolulu) Hawaiian surfer and swimmer who won three Olympic gold medals for the United States and who for several years was considered the greatest freestyle swimmer in the world. He was perhaps most widely known for developing the flutter kick, which largely replaced the scissors kick.

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). In the 100-yard freestyle, Kahanamoku was U.S. indoor champion in 1913 and outdoor titleholder in 1916–17 and 1920. At the Olympic Games in Stockholm in 1912, he won the 100-metre freestyle event, and he repeated that triumph at the 1920 Olympics in Antwerp, Belgium, where he also was a member of the victorious U.S. team in the 800-metre relay race. Kahanamoku also excelled at surfing, and he became viewed as one of the icons of the sport.

Intermittently from the mid-1920s Kahanamoku was a motion-picture actor. From 1932 to 1961 he was sheriff of the city and county of Honolulu. He served in the salaried office of official greeter of famous personages for the state of Hawaii from 1961 until his death.