Duke's Olympic Feet

Duke Kahanamoku was the twentieth century's top waterman, and is known as the "father of international surfing." The first Hawaiian to win an Olympic gold medal, Duke represented the United States in the Olympic Games in 1912, 1920, 1924, and 1932, winning gold, silver, and bronze medals. Born in 1890, Duke grew up next to the ocean in Waikiki. After school, he and his sister and brothers would hit the water. "I was only happy when I was swimming like a fish", Duke said.
Duke and the other beach boys gathered under a hau tree in Waikiki. They rode the waves at Castles, a prime surf spot, on their sixteen -foot solid wooden surfboards.