.png/1280px-Face_detail,_Warren_Kealoha_(cropped).png) Kealoha in 1924 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Warren Daniels Kealoha | |||||||||||||||||
| National team | United States | |||||||||||||||||
| Born | (1903-03-03)March 3, 1903 Honolulu, Territory of Hawaii, U.S. | |||||||||||||||||
| Died | September 8, 1972(1972-09-08) (aged 69) Honolulu, Hawaii, U.S. | |||||||||||||||||
Spouse | Eleanor Elvira Ribeiro (1922) | |||||||||||||||||
| Sport | ||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | Swimming | |||||||||||||||||
Event | 100 Backstroke | |||||||||||||||||
| Strokes | Backstroke | |||||||||||||||||
| Club | Hui Makani Club | |||||||||||||||||
| Coach | Harvey Chilton (Hui Makani) | |||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Warren Daniels Kealoha (March 3, 1903 – September 8, 1972) was an American competition swimmer who was an Olympic gold medalist in the 100 backstroke at both 1920 Antwerp and 1924 Paris Olympics and a world record-holder. Kealoha had the distinction of being one of the first athletes to win gold medals in backstroke in consecutive Olympics. As an innovator, he also was noted for being one of the first back strokers to use the flutter kick and an arm stroke with alternate over the head arm entry in elite competition.[1]
Early life
Kealoha was born in Kakaako in greater Honolulu on March 3, 1903.[1] Warren learned to swim in Kewalo Basin, and later swam in Honolulu harbor. He trained and competed with the strong Hui Makani Club under Coach Harvey Chilton. Despite the same surname, Warren was not related to Hawaiian Olympic swimming champion Pua Kealoha, who was one of his teammates with the Hui Makani Club.[1] Kealoha's Coach at Hui Makani, Harvey Chilton, a 2015 Hawaii Hall of Fame inductee, was born in Hawaii, and coached both the well-known Hui Makani and Hui Nalu Swim Clubs during his accomplished career as a coach which spanned over forty years.[2] Kealoha may have done some of his early training in Honolulu Harbor, but large pools such as the Punahou School "tank" pool, the Elizabeth Waterhouse Memorial Tank opened in 1922, and the Waikīkī War Memorial Natatorium opened in 1927, were available in greater Honolulu for training. 1920 freestyle silver medalist Ludy Langer, who swam for Harvey Chilton's rival Hui Nalu Club, was a contemporary of Kealoha.[3]
Education
Kealoha attended greater Honolulu's Punahou School, which had one of the area's earliest pools, and greater Honolulu's St. Louis College, now known as St. Louis School. St. Louis College, prior to 1920, when Kealoha likely attended, was more a preparatory school than a degree-granting University. Film star Buster Crabbe, who grew up in Hawaii, and competed during Kealoha's later swimming career, graduated the Punahou School, and won a bronze medal in the 1500 meter swim at the 1928 Olympics.[4][5]
Proficient in the freestyle, Kealoha won the American Athletic Union 50-yard freestyle twice. Best known for his dominance in American backstroke competition, Kealoha retained the record in the 100-meter backstroke for a full six years until losing it to swimming great Johnny Weismuller in 1926.[6][1][5]
1920, 1924 Olympics
As one of the youngest U.S. Olympic swim team members at 17, Kealoha won the 100-meter backstroke event at the August, 1920 Antwerp Olympics in a world record time of 1:14.8. With his use of the overhead backstroke, Warren later claimed in an interview that he was nearly disqualified in his first Olympic competition, but noted his stroke was later ruled legal, as he remained on his back which was the primary rule requirement. Many European backstrokers of the era used a scissors kick rather than the flutter kick and entered the water with both arms simultaneously, rather than alternately as Warren, and other Hawaiian swimmers did. Warren's backstroke style is now used universally in competition.[7][5]
He won the 100-meter backstroke again at 1924 Paris Olympics with a time of 1:13.2. Kealoha was known for being one of the first backstroke swimmers to use the overhead stroke, and was one of the first backstrokers to win in consecutive Olympics. During his career, Kealoha set four world records, first at the 1920 Olympics and last in Honolulu in 1926, which was beaten the next day by Walter Laufer.[8][6][4][7] Kealoha's best-known Hawaiian Olympic teammate who competed for the U.S. in both the 1920 and 1924 Olympics was Duke Kahanamoku, and film star Johnny Weismuller was a 1924 U.S. Olympic teammate who won three gold medals in freestyle events that year.[9]
Kealoha married Eleanor Elvira Ribeiro at 2:00 pm on July 22, 1922 in greater Honolulu, spending their honeymoon at the Volcano of Kilauea in Hilo, Hawaii. The couple had children together, though they divorced and Eleanor later remarried.[10]
Post swimming life
After retiring from swimming, Kealoha became a rancher. He was known for avoiding publicity and enjoying his privacy, and become less widely known after his swimming retirement.[11] Kealoha was inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame as an "Honor Swimmer" in December 1968.[6]
Kealoha died September 8, 1972 after a long illness at Kuakini Hospital in Honolulu. Services were held at the Masonic temple on Honolulu's Makiki Street. Warren Kealoha was survived by his wife Eleanor who died in 1983, four children, and grandchildren.[12][4][6]
See also
References
- ^ a b c d "Warren Kealoha". Olympedia. Archived from the original on April 21, 2022. Retrieved September 3, 2021.
- ^ "Hawaii Swimming Hall of Fame". hshof.com. Retrieved November 23, 2025.
- ^ "Ka Punahou Archives, Funai, Allison, 2025, The History of Punahou's Aquatic Facilities". kapunahou.org/. Retrieved November 23, 2025.
- ^ a b c "Swim Great Kaloha is Dead at 69", Honolulu Star Advertiser, Honolulu, Hawaii, September 9, 1972, pg. 30
- ^ a b c "Warren Kealoha, A Champion", Honolulu Star Bulletin, Honolulu, Hawaii, September 29, 1968, pg. 67
- ^ a b c d "International Swimming Hall of Fame, Warren Kealoha". ishof.org. Retrieved November 22, 2025.
- ^ a b "Former Island Olympic Swim Champion Dies", Honolulu Star Buletin, Honolulu, Hawaii, September 9, 1972, pg. 2
- ^ "Warren Kealoha (USA)". ISHOF.org. International Swimming Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on October 28, 2017. Retrieved April 12, 2015.
- ^ "Warren Kaloha Meets Some Old Friends", Honolulu Star Advertiser, February 1, 1969, pg. 25
- ^ "Warren Kealoha", Honolulu Star-Bulletin, Honolulu, Hawaii, July 24, 1922, pg. 4
- ^ Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Warren Kealoha". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on April 17, 2020. Retrieved October 29, 2014.
- ^ "Obituaries, Warren Kealoha", Honolulu Star-Bulletin, September 9, 1972, pg. 16
External links
Media related to Warren Kealoha at Wikimedia Commons
- Warren Kealoha at the International Swimming Hall of Fame
- Warren Kealoha at World Aquatics
- Warren Kealoha at Olympics.com
