Duke Kahanamoku

In honor of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, I thought I would feature some famous Asian Americans that you might not know much about.

Duke Paoa Kahinu Mokoe Hulikohola Kahanamoku was born on August 24, 1890, and died on January 22, 1968. He was a  Hawaiian competition swimmer who loved surfing. He was born towards the end of the Kingdom of Hawaii and became a United States citizen. He won an  Olympic medal five times in swimming. He also worked in law enforcement and acting as well as a beach volleyball player and a businessman.

Duke is known as the father of international surfing. He was first recognized as a swimmer in the 1912 Olympics that took place in Stockholm, Sweden. He set a world record in the 100-meter freestyle and won a silver medal in the 200-meter relay. At the 1920 Antwerp Olympics, he won two gold medals. At the 1924 Paris Olympics, he won a silver medal. At the 1932 Los Angelos Olympics, he won a bronze medal. He also appeared in nearly 30 movies over the course of nine years. Then he became the sheriff for the City and County of Honolulu for 25 years.