SWIMMING.

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume IV, Issue 396, 19 March 1915, Page 2

SWIMMING.

WORLD S CHAMPION IN NAPIER. Despite the wet weather, about 200 people assembled at the Napier Municipal Baths last night, to witness the Hawke’s Bay _ Centre's carnival and more especially the Hawaiian, Duke Paoa Kahanamoku, the world’s champion swimmer, and his partner, George Cunha, who is the world’s champion white swimmer. Duke, who is 24 years of age, is very dark and is a fine specimen of an'athlete, being over 6 feet in height and weighing about 13 stone. Cunha, who is of Portuguese parentage, is smaller built altogether. Kahanamoku has a style of swimming far different from the wellknown New Zealand “crawl.’’ His famous kick is a quick oscillating movement of the feet, operating near each other. He makes hardly any splash, but disturbs the water in a similar way to the churn of a steamer’s propellor. lie uses his arms in a somewhat similar way to the local swimmers, but the action is steady and powerful, and he also keeps his eyes above the water, so that he can see where he is going.

Cunha uses practically the same style. These two only started in two races. The first was the 100 yards invitation race, which C. Bowen (Napier), by making the best of 9sec start, won by a few yards, with Kalhanamoku second arid Cunha third. The dark champion’s time was 56sec. In the second race, the 66§ yards inter-club handicap, both the champions were unplaced. Duke got over this distance in 35sec., which was 16sec. under the winner s . time. The polo championship of Hawke's Bay was won by Te Awa by default, Napier being unable to get a team. The following are. the results : —

100 Yards Invitation Handicap.— C. Bowen (9sec) 1, Kahanamoku (scr) 2, G. Cunha (3scc) 3. Time, 65sec. 66g Yards Ladies’ Race. —Miss D. Bailey (24sec) 1, Miss C. Burrows (ssec) 2. Time, 78sec. 100 Yards Breaststroke Handicap. —R. Honnor (I9sec) I, A. Russell (9 sec) 2, S. Leader (scr) 3. Time, 91 3-ssec. ! 66s Yards Inter-club Handicap.— First heat: G. Wihly (18sec) 1, T. Laing (22sce) 2, B. King (Msec) 3. Time, 50 3-ssee. Second heat: W. Young (15sec) 1, A. Cole (22sec) 2, C. Bowen (7sec) 3. Time, 54 2-ssec. Final: Wlbly 1, Laing 2. Time, 51 sec. Teams Race —F. Baird, D. Thompson, G. Wibly (Bsec) 1. S. Pointon, D. Smith, J. Downing (13sec) 2.