GGOATRANK
🇺🇸
Swimming · Freestyle · United States

Duke Kahanamoku

1911–1932 · Three-time Olympic champion and the father of modern surfing.

Retired
Ranking model

100% titles, statistics, dominance, longevity and global competition depth.

Pure sporting data
86.8
Cultural & brand footprint 46/100 · total legacy 78.2
Olympic gold medals
3
Olympic silver medals
2
Olympic Games contested
4
World records
6
Years at world level
20

Category profile

Dominance
86
Peak
92
Longevity
86
Honours
84
Statistics
86

Career timeline · Form index per season

SeasonForm index per seasonShare of career
19122
19130
19140
19150
19160
19170
19180
19190
19203
19210
19220
19230
19241
19250
19260
19270
19280
19290
19300
19310
19320

Data sources

  • World Aquatics
  • Olympedia
  • IOC results

Figures come from public records and are normalised per sport. See the methodology for category weights. Method

Why Duke Kahanamoku ranks #33 in Swimming

Duke Kahanamoku ranks 33rd among Swimming athletes on GOAT Rank and 291st of 2289 across every sport in the index. The published GOAT Score of 86.8 is the weighted result of five verified category scores: Dominance 86, Peak 92, Longevity 86, Honours 84, Statistics 86. Those categories are normalised against the full Swimming reference universe of 289 records, not a shortlist, so the position reflects the whole sport rather than a handful of famous names.

The record covers 1911–1932 with 21 documented competitive seasons. The strongest single season in that series is 1920, which sets the Peak component at 92. Peak is the defining strength of the profile at 92 out of 100, and it carries 20% of the final score. The underlying career record includes olympic gold medals 3, olympic silver medals 2, olympic games contested 4, world records 6.

Immediately ahead sits Kristin Otto on 86.8, a gap of 0.0 points. Directly behind is Kieren Perkins on 86.7. The position moves whenever the verified record moves: new titles, new seasons or a corrected source all feed straight back into the same formula, and every change is dated on this profile.

Duke Kahanamoku GOAT Score explained

Dominance86/100 · weight 25%
Measures how far Kahanamoku stood above the field while competing. Scored 86/100 against the full Swimming cohort.
Peak92/100 · weight 20%
Rates the best sustained stretch of the career, centred on 1920. Scored 92/100.
Longevity86/100 · weight 20%
Rewards staying at that level over time: 21 years of competition and 21 recorded seasons. Scored 86/100.
Honours84/100 · weight 20%
Counts documented titles, majors and awards in the verified record. Scored 84/100.
Statistics86/100 · weight 15%
Normalises the raw career numbers against everyone in the sport reporting the same metric. Scored 86/100.

Duke Kahanamoku — frequently asked

Is Duke Kahanamoku the GOAT?
Not on the current data. Duke Kahanamoku ranks 33rd in Swimming with a GOAT Score of 86.8, behind Michael Phelps on 98.1.
What is Duke Kahanamoku's GOAT Score?
86.8 out of 100. It is the weighted sum of Dominance 86 (25%), Peak 92 (20%), Longevity 86 (20%), Honours 84 (20%), Statistics 86 (15%), computed from the verified career record.
Where does Duke Kahanamoku rank all time?
291st of 2289 eligible athletes in the cross-sport index, and 33rd within Swimming.
Duke Kahanamoku vs Kristin Otto: who ranks higher?
Duke Kahanamoku, on 86.8 against Kristin Otto's 86.8 — a margin of 0.0 points.
Compare with Phelps