Champions and Record Breakers at the 1912 Olympics in Stockholm
Date1912
Object number00055938
NameBooklet
MediumPaper
DimensionsOverall: 250 × 317 mm
ClassificationsEphemera
Credit LineAustralian National Maritime Museum Collection
DescriptionBooklet that contains the Champions and Record Breakers at the 1912 Olympics in Stockholm.
The booklet is Volume 5 of the 10-volume series.HistoryThis rare swimming program from the 1912 Stockholm Olympic Games shows medallists in swimming including Australians Fanny Durack and Mina Wylie, who won gold and silver in the 100 metres as Australia's first female Olympians, and Cecil Healy who held up the final to allow the champion Hawaiian swimmers to compete, only to lose the gold by a narrow margin to Duke Paoa Kahanamoku in the much heralded 100 metre race. Healy went on to win gold to the Americans silver with the Australian men's relay team and forged a friendship with Kahanamoku who visited Australia in 1914. Kahanamoku became a surfing demi-god, and a huge pioneer of the sport in Australia while Healy was killed on the western front of WWI four years later.
SignificanceThis program illustrates connections between Australia and the United States across the Pacific in Polynesia, Hawaii, west coast America and Australia. The 100 metre gold medal swimmer Hawaiian Kahanamoku subsequently visited Australia to give exhibitions of swimming and surfing and swimming where he had such an impact in the early 20th century in Australia. .
