Duke Kahanamoku considered one of World’s Greatest Athletes

Duke Kahanamoku Deserves to be in World’s Greatest Athlete Conversation

When my mother and father determined to take a household journey to Hawaii for his or her fiftieth anniversary, they requested every of us what an important factor we wished to do was.

Mine was straightforward.

I wished my image taken with the Duke Kahanamoku statue at Waikiki Beach.

The well-known statue has welcomed tens of millions to the island of Oahu on its most well-known seashore. I wished to really feel a reference to one of many world’s biggest swimmers and the godfather of browsing. But I used to be astonished when many of the members of my household have been like, “Oh Duke, he’s the surfer, right?”

Right, however they have been floored once I reminded them he was additionally and Olympic swimming champion at two Games. Not solely that, however he was an innovator, creating the flutter kick, which led him to gold within the 100 freestyle in 1912 in Stockholm and 1920 in Antwerp.

Before he was often called the godfather of browsing, he was the best swimmer on this planet.

Somehow that has been simply forgotten over time.

The debate of the world’s biggest athlete in historical past is an effective one with so some ways to go. Would or not it’s one of the best at a sport, far superior than others, like Babe Ruth, Michael Phelps, Michael Jordan, Muhammad Ali, Pele, Serena Williams or Usain Bolt? Or is it a multi-sport star like Jackie Robinson (baseball, soccer, observe), Jim Thorpe (baseball, soccer, observe), Babe Didrickson Zaharias (observe, golf, baseball, basketball) Jim Brown (soccer, lacrosse), Bo Jackson (soccer, baseball), Althea Gibson (tennis, golf) or Deion Sanders (soccer, baseball).

Or even a pioneer like Robinson, Thorpe, Bill Russell, Jesse Owens or Billie Jean King?

But Duke’s title is never introduced up in that group regardless of being a multi-sport star. Not simply star, however pioneer.

He is remembered as a pioneer in browsing and has his statue (and one other in Huntington Beach, California) with a surf board. But his flutter kick and sheer dominance within the 100 meters stood out earlier than Johnny Weissmuller and generations that adopted.

The Duke was a celeb throughout his time and had moments with Babe Ruth and different legends who got here to Hawaii.

But for some purpose, his legend pale a bit over time, whereas others didn’t.

Perhaps it’s as a result of Hawaii is so far-off. Perhaps it’s as a result of he was extra of a blue-collar kind of a hero who didn’t say a ton or invite controversy. Perhaps it was as a result of he competed earlier than tv and there’s not a lot footage of him. Perhaps it was as a result of he was Hawaiian and one of many first American sports activities stars of colour.

Perhaps it’s a mixture of this stuff.

But regardless of the purpose, the Duke is value remembering as an Olympic swimming champion and pioneer.

The phrase spreads slowly to those that go to the statue, and each couple of minutes, there’s an audible, “Oh, he was an Olympic swimmer, too?” remark from a customer studying the plaque on the statue.

Yes he was, and the Duke is likely one of the biggest athletes within the historical past of the world, and deserves to be in that dialog each time.

Editor’s Note: For extra information on the Duke, take a look at the biography “Waterman” by David Davis.