SWIMMING

Evening Post, Volume LXXXIX, Issue 1, 2 January 1915, Page 10

SWIMMING

ABOUT KAHANAMOKU A GREAT PERFORMER. (By "Header.") Duke Kahanamoku, the famous Island swimmer, has arrived at Sydney, and, according to all accounts, has created a favourable impression. It may co happen that New Zealand will also be visited in due course, but Wellington, does not 6eem to cave much whether he comes or not. However, a few particulars about "Duke," as given by W. F. Corbett in the Sydney Mail, will no doubt be welcome. Mr. Corbet* says that the famous Hawaiian is an intelligent, bright fellow, with an attractive personality and a modest reserve. He is too reserved, the interviewer thinks, but he may throw that off when lie gets to know us better. Replying to the several expressions of welcome voiced, Kahanamoku said he was not as good a speaker "as the rest of the bunch here" — looking at his manager, Mr. Francis Evans, and fellowswimmer, Georg Cunha, but he desired to say he would do his best to pleaee everybody. It was two or three years since he first decided to visit Australia, but something always occurred to block the way almost at the last moment. Mr. Evans referred to Australians as the greatest sport-loving people in the world, and Australian applause acknowledged the high compliment. Cunha was glad to see this much talked-of land. He did not think he would ever have had that pleasure but for the fact that he was a swimmer! KAHANAMOKU AND CUNHA SWIM. Soon after their arrival the two great swimmers were driven to the Municipal Baths, Domain, which proved an eyeopener to them. They had seen nothing anywhere to equal that place for carnival purposes. Kahanamoku and Cunha entered the water and swam the 110 yards' course. While showing no pace worth mentioning, each did enough to satisfy the critical onlooker that both were certainly all they had been represented. Cunha's is very like Kahanamoku's leg-work, which is a kick different to that of most other swimmers. His is the movement of a screw-propelled boat. The legs are much more in service than the arms. Experts hold the opinion that hi 6 unusually large pedal extremities are an advantage to him. Though Kahanamoku put up a world's record (lmin 2 3-ssec) for the 100 metres' race at Stockholm., he improved upon that achievement at Hamburg a little later by traversing the distance in lmin 1 3-ssec. Then the German champion, Bretting, was defeated easily. Cecil Healy swam second to the Island boy in Sweden, finishing 1 l-ssec behind him. FAME IN A NIGHT. It is interesting to recall that a year before his appearance in the United States Kahanamoku was recognised as a wonder at Honolulu, where he created American records which, being credited to one unknown beyond the confines of his place of birth, were not seriously accepted. However, when he went east and competed in the A.A.U. championships he jumped from obscurity to worldwide fame in a single night. The young native showed all the signs of the speed burner he had been proclaimed by officials of organised Honolulu swimming. This new luminary in the natatorial firmament won a 100 yards scratch race in the New York Athletic Club's tank, and occupied no more than 57sec over the task. A few days later he gathered a like event at Philadelphia in exactly the same time. Further on he showed his heels to a bunch of the best intercollegiate swimmers, while throwing the distance behind in 56 2-ssec, and al] this in face of the fact that tank-swimming was entirely new to him. At Chicago about four months before the decision of the Olympia Games Kahanamoku started in a heat of a 50 yards race, and was defeated by Phillip Mallen in 24 4-ssec. A night later at tho same place — the Chicago Athletic Association's basin — the 100 yards contest fell to him in 57sec.