Duke Kahanamoku, in full Duke Paoa Kahinu Mokoe Hulikohola Kahanamoku, (born August 26, 1890, close to Waikiki, Hawaii [now in the United States]—died January 22, 1968, Honolulu, Hawaii, U.S.), Hawaiian surfer and swimmer who gained three Olympic gold medals for the United States and who for a number of years was thought-about the best freestyle swimmer on this planet. He was maybe most generally identified for creating the flutter kick, which largely changed the scissors kick.
Kahanamoku set three universally acknowledged world information within the 100-yard freestyle between July 5, 1913, and September 5, 1917 (53 seconds; damaged by Johnny Weissmuller in 1922). In the 100-yard freestyle Kahanamoku was U.S. indoor champion in 1913 and outside titleholder in 1916–17 and 1920. At the Olympic Games in Stockholm in 1912, he gained the 100-metre freestyle occasion, and he repeated that triumph on the 1920 Olympics in Antwerp, Belgium, the place he additionally was a member of the victorious U.S. crew within the 800-metre relay race. Kahanamoku additionally excelled at browsing, and he turned seen as one of many icons of the game.
Intermittently from the mid-Twenties Kahanamoku was a motion-picture actor. From 1932 to 1961 he was sheriff of the town and county of Honolulu. He served within the salaried workplace of official greeter of well-known personages for the state of Hawaii from 1961 till his demise.