Page 88 - Celebrating 50 Years of the International swimming Hall of Fame

Remembering the ISHOF Class of 1968
Warren Kealoha - Honor Swimmer (USA)
Warren Kealoha, the baby of the 1920 US men’s Olympic
team, was 16 when he won his first Olympic backstroke
crown. He came back to win again in 1924 as the Olympics
first double winner in any stroke other than freestyle. “It
wasn’t easy for Hawaiians to get to the Olympics back in
those days,” Warren said at his induction, “or I might have
had a chance at my third Olympics in 1928. We had to break
a world record before they could afford to send us to the
Mainland,” he says, “then when we arrived by boat and out
of shape, we had to beat all comers on the West coast, again
in Chicago, and again in New York before we finally made Theile swimming backstroke
the Olympic team.”
Yoshiyuki Tsuruta - Honor Swimmer (JPN)
In the history of the modern Olympic
Games, only two swimmers have
repeated as gold medalists in the
200m breaststroke. They are both
from Japan: Yoshiyuki Tsuruta, in
1928 and 1932 and Kosuke Kitajima
in 2004 and 2008. In one of the most
anticipated races at the 1928 games,
Tsuruta toppled the world record
holder and favored German, Erich
Rademacher, in an epic battle. In
1929 he broke Rademacher’s world
record and at the LA Games in 1932,
Warren Kealoha’s handprints in Pictured with Olympic teammate he won easily, defeating countryman Yoshi Tsuruta at the
cement assisted by Jam Handy. Bob Skelton (L) at the 1924 Games. 1932 Games of Los
Reizo Koieke and Filipino Teofilo Angeles
Yldefonzo. During the war years he
David Theile - Honor Swimmer (AUS) served in the Navy where he taught many young soldiers
In the history of Olympic swimming, there is only Australian and sailors to swim. In one of the tragic ironies of war, his
to win a backstroke gold medal and David Theile won two friend and competitor, Yldefonzo, who won bronze medals in
of them - at Melbourne in 1956 and Rome in 1960. As a 17 the 200m breast at the 1932 and 1936 Olympic Games was
year old school boy in 1955, David broke the Australian among thousands of Filipino and American soldiers captured
record in the 100m by Japanese forces during WWII. Upon learning that Lt.
backstroke, but after Yldefonso was among the prisoners captured in Batan, Lt.
finishing secondary Tsuruta called for his release, but unfortunately his plea came
school he had a major too late - Yldefonzo had already perished. After the war,
decision to make. Tsuruta went on to become influential in Japan’s ministry
Accept a scholarship of education, promoting for all. Today there is a statue and
to study medicine memorial to Tsuruta in his home town of Kagoshima. On
at the University of it, is engraved a poem that reflects Tsuruta’s philosophy, a
Queensland or defer powerful reflection of Japanese values:
and join the Australian
David Theile (R) with ISHOF great team in training for the “It’s not suffering. It’s evidence you have yet to push yourself.
Murray Rose Melbourne Olympic Doing so, it becomes second nature, an afterthought.True
Games in Townsville under the eye of the late Forbes Carlile. suffering is just the beginning of knowing who you are.”
He chose the latter, and won the gold medal by more than 1.5
meters.While he continued to swim after his success, Theile’s
focus switched to his studies. Four years later he defended
his title in Rome. While he can enjoy Rome today, he saw
nothing of it during the Olympics. “I was there to win”, he
said. “You don’t throw away four years’ training to spend
a day at the beach.’’ After retiring he became a successful
surgeon and served as President of the Royal Australasian
College of Surgeons and was made an Officer of the Order of
Australia for his services to surgery. L-R: Yldefonzo, Tsuruta and Koike
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