The greatest Olympic athlete from every U.S. state

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BpLlWq6Q388

Hawaii: Duke Kahanamoku

Sport: Swimming

Olympics: Stockholm 1912, Antwerp 1920, and Paris 1924

While many native Hawaiians will instantly recognize the face of Duke Kahanamoku, there are many who don’t know who he is or how much he gave to the sports world. He is the godfather of surfing, according to anyone involved in the sport. What is possibly a lesser known fact is Kahanamoku was also an accomplished Olympic swimmer. His medal count is likely lower than it should be since the 1916 Olympics were canceled due to World War I.

In his Olympic debut, Kahanamoku was so far ahead of the field in the 100-meter freestyle that he actually turned to survey the field and still won the race by two meters. That’s an incredible feat when the margin for victory is typically within one or two seconds. He then defended his title at the next available opportunity in the 1920 Games in Antwerp by besting fellow Hawaiian Pua Kealoha. The final was actually ordered to be swum a second time because of a dispute so Kahanamoku went back and still claimed the gold. Even though he did not medal, he also represented the United States in Water Polo. In his final appearance, he captured the silver medal in 1924 in Paris.

Duke Kahanamoku is one of the revered figures in Hawaiian culture and a fantastic athlete that excelled in multiple sports. He also had a career in films as he appeared in 19 movies, some documentary and some not. To this day, there are statues of Kahanamoku around the Hawaiian islands.

Honorable Mention: Ford Konno, swimming in Helsinki 1952 and Melbourne 1956