Surfer of the Century

November 14, 2009 11:00 AM

Thousand Oaks - Borders
125 W. Thousand Oaks Blvd.
Thousand Oaks, CA 91360

Growing up in Honolulu with the Pacific Ocean as his backyard, Duke Kahanamoku learned to swim and surf at a young age. By his early twenties, Duke's lightning-fast swimming won him a place on the 1912 United States Olympic team and a gold medal in the 100-meter freestyle race. Over the years Duke struggled with racism and financial troubles, but by the end of his twenty-year Olympic career, he was a six-time medal winner.