The remarkable Olympic swimming career of Duke Kahanamoku
In 1912, Duke Kahanamoku (1890-1968) expressed his dream of seeing surfing in the Olympic Games.
But the father of modern surfing was also an exceptional swimmer who had to overcome racial discrimination to be accepted as an athlete.
Born in Hawaii, Kahanamoku first impressed the sports authorities when, on August 11, 1911, he completed the 100-yard (91-meter) freestyle in 55.4 seconds in Honolulu Harbor’s saltwater, between two piers, surpassing the previous world record by 4.6 seconds.
Additionally, he broke the 220-yard (200-meter) record and matched the 50-yard (46-meter) record.
In that same year, Duke co-founded the Hui Nalu Club.
However, the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) was skeptical and did not acknowledge these achievements for many years.
Initially, the AAU suggested the judges used alarm clocks instead of stopwatches and later argued that ocean currents assisted Kahanamoku.
The Olympic Debut
Duke Kahanamoku journeyed across the Pacific and dominated numerous races on the East Coast of the USA, solidifying his reputation as the nation’s top sprinter.
He easily qualified for the 1912 Stockholm Games. The American team made their way across the Atlantic on the SS Finland.
“The first time I came into the picture for the Olympics goes way back to 1910. The first AAU meet was held at that time,” Kahanamoku recalled in 1966.
“I swam that first meet and broke the world’s record straightaway. I was 19. You see, I did start early to become a champion.”
“I just carried on and kept training until I had a chance to travel the world and go to the Olympics. That’s what I did in 1912. I went to Stockholm, Sweden, and that was the first time.”
The Hawaiian traveled to Sweden for the Stockholm 1912 Olympics.
The swimming program took place in a section of the Baltic Sea, with the race pool situated in Djurgårdsbrunnsviken Bay, right in the heart of Stockholm.
On July 6, 1912, 34 swimmers were ready for the first 100-meter freestyle heats.
Kahanamoku immediately set an Olympic record by winning his heat in 1:02.6, followed by another victory in his quarterfinal on July 7, clocking 1:03.8.
Then, confusion struck.
The American swimmers returned to the SS Finland to rest, believing the semifinals were scheduled for the next day.
However, the semifinals were actually held later that same day, and the Americans missed their races.
Initially disqualified, they were given a second chance thanks to the intervention of Australian swimmer Cecil Healy.
In the rerun heat, Kahanamoku set a new world record with a time of 1:02.4.
The final took place on July 10, and Duke, much like eight years later, was found napping behind the stands just before the race.
He was quickly woken up and brought to the starting line just in time.
Kahanamoku dominated the race from start to finish.
At some point, he led by such a significant margin at the halfway point that he had time to glance back at his competitors.
Duke finished the race in 1:03.4 with a two-meter lead over Healy, who managed to overtake teammate Ken Huszagh for the silver medal.
Kahanamoku was awarded his gold medal by King Gustav V of Sweden.
In the 4×200-meter relay, the American team took silver, with Australia claiming gold.
Duke Kahanamoku Surf-and-Swim World Tour
On his way back home, Kahanamoku gave swimming demonstrations in Western Europe as an ambassador for the sport.
One of these shows took place in the Seine River in front of thousands of Parisians.
In mainland USA, Duke switched sports and gave a surfing exhibition alongside Atlantic City’s Steel Pier.
He also bodysurfed in New York, at Rockaway Beach and Sea Gate, and surfed for over a thousand people in Long Beach, California.
When in Waikiki, despite barely earning a living moving from one low-paying job to the next, the “Big Kahuna” refused offers to swim for money to retain his amateur status so he could compete in the upcoming Olympic Games.
World War I forced the cancelation of the Berlin 1916 Olympics, but when the Games resumed four years later, Kahanamoku was ready to defend his title.
Back in Europe
In the “dark, cold and muddy” waters of Antwerp 1920, Duke equaled his own world record (1:01.4) in the semifinals.
However, he saved his best performance for last.
In the final, he was joined by three other American swimmers, including fellow Hawaiians Pua Kealoha and Bill Harris.
Kahanamoku took the lead from the very first strokes and, after accelerating his pace, won by a significant margin.
He broke his own world record by one second, nearly dipping under the minute mark with a time of 1:00.4.
The Hawaiian swimmers swept the podium, with Kealoha taking silver and Harris bronze – but this victory was short-lived.
Australian swimmer William Herald claimed he had been obstructed during the race by American Norman Ross.
As a result, the judges disqualified Ross and nullified the final, rescheduling it for five days later.
After celebrating his 30th birthday, Kahanamoku returned to the pool along with the other finalists, except for Ross.
Once again, the 1912 Olympic gold medalist was crowned champion, becoming the first swimmer to achieve back-to-back victories in the 100-meter freestyle.
He secured the title with a time of 1:01.4.
Despite the rerun, the original standings remained unchanged, with Kealoha earning silver and Harris bronze.
On September 1st, after receiving warm congratulations from his teammates and sharing jokes with officials as he exited the pool, Duke Kahanamoku, known as “the Duke,” took a quick nap behind the stands.
However, he still had one more race to swim – the 4×200-meter relay.
Just as the starting whistle was about to blow, he had to be hurriedly awakened to make it to the poolside in time.
Kahanamoku and his teammates, Perry McGillivray, Pua Kealoha, and Norman Ross, won the race by an impressive 21 seconds, setting a world record time of 10:04.4.
This victory put the Americans ahead of the Australians, who had defeated them four years earlier in Stockholm, with Great Britain finishing 33 seconds behind to take the bronze.
A question that still intrigues historians is whether Kahanamoku also played for the United States water polo team at the 1920 Antwerp Games.
He claimed to have substituted for a teammate in the bronze-medal match, where the American team lost 5-0 to Sweden.
However, there is no definitive proof that he actually participated in the game.
“I was also on the Olympic water polo team. (Laughs) I remember when the water was so cold back in 1920 in Antwerp,” Duke Kahanamoku said in the 1968 interview.
“I was asked to play on the team, and I was just purple because the water was so cold – cold as ice.”
“Gee, I could hardly do my little trick of holding some of these guys down with both my feet. I couldn’t feel anything.”
The Stolen Olympic Flag
Hal Haig Prieste earned a bronze medal in platform diving at the Antwerp 1920 Olympic Games. Duke had clinched gold in the 100-meter freestyle.
One night before the closing ceremonies, the two, still riding high on their victories and perhaps after enjoying a few drinks, found themselves near the Olympic flagpoles.
“Why don’t you climb up there, Duke, and grab that flag with the five rings?” Prieste suggested.
“I’d love to, Harry, but I’m afraid of heights. But you’re a platform diver – heights don’t bother you at all!” Duke replied.
With a little encouragement from Duke, Prieste scaled the pole and got the famous five-ring flag.
In 1997, and by then Duke had long passed, Prieste, who was 100 years old at the time, attended an Olympic committee banquet and revealed that he had the missing Antwerp flag – the very first Olympic flag – tucked away in his closet.
For 77 years, he had been showing it off to friends as a party trick.
Prieste returned the flag to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in a special ceremony held at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney.
The “thief” was 103 years old at the time.
The Last Olympics
Kahanamoku returned to the Olympics in 1924, finishing second to Johnny Weissmuller in the 100-meter freestyle, with Duke’s brother, Samuel, taking third in the same race.
“I tried to come back in 1932. I guess I wanted a last swim in the Olympics. I didn’t quite make it and find myself to be, well – just one of those has-beens (laughs).”
At Los Angeles 1932 Games, Duke was 42. He was a substitute for the US water polo team, who would secure a bronze medal.
Duke Kahanamoku is still one of the most influential figures in the history of surfing and swimming.
“Out of the water, I am nothing,” he once expressed.
“Surfing is a universal language that brings people together.”
More than 100 years after his dream, the sport of the kings rode the Olympic wave for the first time at Tokyo 2020.
Duke Kahanamoku | Olympic Career Results
Stockholm 1912
- Gold Medal: Swimming (100 Meters Freestyle)
- Silver Medal: Swimming (4×200 Meters Freestyle Relay)
Antwerp 1920
- Gold Medal: Swimming (100 Meters Freestyle)
- Gold Medal: Swimming (4×200 Meters Freestyle Relay)
- 6th Place: Water Polo
Paris 1924
- Silver Medal: Swimming (100 Meters Freestyle)
Words by Luís MP | Founder of SurferToday.com
