Thursday, December 14, 2006

Duke Kahanamoku: a Hawaiian Hero


Duke Kahanamoku was born in 1890 and gained legendary Hawaiian status by winning the Olympic 100 yard freestyle in a time when Hawaii was largely unknown by the average person. Among other things, he was also a reknowned surfer at Waikiki beach (note the long board that they used back then) and had also gained some notoriety after choking a 10 ft Moray eel to death with his bare hands after running into it during a swim (reportedly losing his index finger in the process). The statue commemorating Duke is along the boardwalk at Waikiki Beach just a short distance from the surf board rental shop.

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