Duke Kahanamoku

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Olympic medalist
Center
Duke Kahanamoku (1915 postcard)
Medal record
Competitor for Flag of United States United States
Men's swimming
Gold 1912 Stockholm 100 m freestyle
Gold 1920 Antwerp 100 m freestyle
Gold 1920 Antwerp 4x100 m freestyle relay
Silver 1912 Stockholm 4x200 m freestyle relay
Silver 1924 Paris 100 m freestyle
The Big Kahuna redirects here. For the film, see The Big Kahuna (film).

Duke Paoa Kahinu Mokoe Hulikohola Kahanamoku (August 24, 1890January 22, 1968), "The Big Kahuna", is generally regarded as the inventor of the modern sport of surfing. He was also an Olympic champion in swimming.

The name "Duke" is not a title, but a given name. His father was named "Duke" in honor of Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh, who was visiting Hawaii at the time of the elder man's birth in 1869. The younger "Duke", as eldest son, inherited the name.

In his youth, Kahanamoku preferred an old-school (traditional) surf board, which he called his "papa nui", constructed after the fashion of ancient Hawaiian "olo" boards. Made from the wood of a koa tree, it was sixteen feet (4.8 m) long and weighed 114 pounds (52 kg). The board was without a skeg, which had yet to be invented. In his later career, he would often use smaller boards, but always preferred those made of wood.

On August 11, 1911, in an amateur swim meet, Kahanamoku was timed at 55.4 seconds in the 100 yard (91 m) freestyle, beating the existing world record by 4.6 seconds, in the salt water of Honolulu Harbor. He also broke the record in the 220 yd (201 m) and equaled it in the 50 yd (46 m), but the Amateur Athletic Union, in disbelief, would not recognize these feats until many years later.

Nevertheless, Kahanamoku easily qualified for the U.S. Olympic swimming team in 1912, breaking the record for the 200 meter freestyle in his trial heat for the 4×200 relay. He went on to win a gold medal in the 100 meter freestyle in the 1912 Olympics in Stockholm, and a silver with the relay team. During the 1920 Olympics in Antwerp, he won gold medals both in the 100 meters, bettering fellow Hawaiian Pua Kealoha, and in the relay. He finished the 100 meters with a silver medal during the 1924 Olympics in Paris, the gold going to Johnny Weissmuller and the bronze to Duke's brother, Samuel Kahanamoku.

Between Olympic competitions, and after retiring from the Olympics, Kahanamoku traveled to different places in the world, particularly Australia and the United States, to give swimming exhibitions. It was during this period that he popularized the sport of surfing, previously known only in Hawaii, by incorporating surfing exhibitions into these visits as well. His surfing exhibition at Sydney's Freshwater Beach on December 23, 1914 is widely regarded as the most significant day in the development of surfing in Australia. The board Kahanamoku used is retained by the Freshwater Surf Club and can be viewed if the caretaker is approached respectfully. There is a statue of Kahanamoku on the headland at Freshwater. Duke was also known as the Father of Surfing.

During his time living in Southern California, Kahanamoku also performed in Hollywood as an extra and a character actor in several films. In this way, he made connections with people who could further publicity for the sport of surfing. Kahanamoku was also involved with the Los Angeles Athletic Club, acting as lifeguard and competing on both swimming and water polo teams.

While living in Newport Beach, California on June 14, 1925, Kahanamoku rescued eight men from a fishing vessel that capsized in heavy surf while attempting to enter the city's harbor. Twenty-nine fishermen went into the water and seventeen perished. Using his surfboard, he was able to make quick trips back and forth to shore to increase the number of sailors rescued. Two other surfers saved four more fishermen. Newport's police chief at the time called Duke's efforts "the most superhuman surfboard rescue act the world has ever seen." Thus was born the tradition of lifeguards having rescue surfboards at the ready.

Duke Kahanamoku was the first person to be inducted into both the Swimming Hall of Fame and the Surfing Hall of Fame. The Duke Kahanamoku Invitational Surfing Championships are named in his honor. He served as sheriff of Honolulu, Hawaii from 1932 to 1961.

There is also a chain of restaurants named after him in California and Hawaii called Duke's.

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Olympic champions in men's 100 m freestyle
1896: Alfréd Hajós | 1906: Charles Daniels | 1908: Charles Daniels | 1912: Duke Paoa Kahanamoku | 1920: Duke Paoa Kahanamoku | 1924: Johnny Weissmuller | 1928: Johnny Weissmuller | 1932: Yasuji Miyazaki | 1936: Ferenc Csík | 1948: Walter Ris | 1952: Clarke Scholes | 1956: Jon Henricks | 1960: John Devitt | 1964: Don Schollander | 1968: Michael Wenden | 1972: Mark Spitz | 1976: Jim Montgomery | 1980: Jörg Woithe | 1984: Rowdy Gaines | 1988: Matt Biondi | 1992: Aleksandr Popov | 1996: Aleksandr Popov | 2000: Pieter van den Hoogenband | 2004: Pieter van den Hoogenband


Olympic champions in men's 4x200 m freestyle relay

1908 Great Britain - John Henry Derbyshire, Paul Radmilovic, William Foster, Henry Taylor
1912 Australasia - Cecil Healy, Malcolm Champion, Leslie Boardman, Harold Hardwick
1920 United States - Perry McGilivray, Pua Kela Kealoha, Norman Ross, Duke Kahanamoku
1924 United States - Walter O'Connor, Harry Glancy, Ralph Breyer, Johnny Weissmuller
1928 United States - Austin Clapp, Walter Laufer, George Kojac, Johnny Weissmuller
1932 Japan - Yasuji Miyazaki, Masonori Yusa, Takashi Yomoyama, Hisakichi Toyoda
1936 Japan - Masanori Yusa, Shigeo Suguira, Masaharu Taguchi, Shigeo Arai
1948 United States - Walter Ris, James McLane, Wallace Wolf, William Smith
1952 United States - Wayne Moore, William Woolsey, Ford Konno, James McLane
1956 Australia - Kevin O'Halloran, John Devitt, Murray Rose, Jon Henricks
1960 United States - George Harrison, Richard Blick, Michael Troy, Jeffrey Farrell
1964 United States - Stephen Clark, Roy Saari, Gary Ilman, Don Schollander
1968 United States - John Nelson, Stephen Rerych, Mark Spitz, Don Schollander
1972 United States - John Kinsella, Fred Tyler, Steve Genter, Mark Spitz
1976 United States - Mike Bruner, Bruce Furniss, John Naber, Jim Montgomery
1980 Soviet Union - Sergei Kopliakov, Vladimir Salnikov, Ivar Stukolkin, Andrei Krylov
1984 United States - Michael Heath, David Larson, Jeffrey Float, Bruce Hayes
1988 United States - Troy Dalbey, Matthew Cetlinski, Doug Gjertsen, Matt Biondi
1992 Unified Team - Dmitri Lepikov, Vladimir Pychnenko, Veniamin Taianovich, Yevgeny Sadovyi
1996 United States - Josh Davis, Joe Hudepohl, Bradley Schumacher, Ryan Berube
2000 Australia - Ian Thorpe, Michael Klim, Todd Pearson, Bill Kirby
2004 United States - Michael Phelps, Ryan Lochte, Peter Vanderkaay, Klete Keller