Rare real photo postcard of America"s first "extreme" sports star. Kahanamoku was a turn of the century American icon winning the gold medal in the 100 meter freestyle in the 1912 Stockholm Olympics then capturing two more gold medals in the 1920 Olympics in Antwerp. During his time as an Olympic athlete Kahanamoku traveled internationally to give swimming exhibitions popularizing the sport of surfing along the way. In 1925 in Newport Beach California he used his surfboard to help rescue eight men from a capsized fishing boat.Kahanamoku was also an actor appearing in several films in the 1920s. He was the first person inducted into the Swimming and Surfing Halls of Fame and is also a member of the US Olympic Hall of Fame. After retiring he served 13 years as sheriff of Honolulu Hawaii.This beautiful postcard of Kahanamoku depicts the swimmer standing on a beach in front of his board. Postally used in 1924 (mailed from Honolulu to Bangor Maine) the postcard has some paper loss on the reverse along with some general wear consistent with its age and having gone through the postal stream. Still it is an outstanding piece a highly desirable collectible featuring one of America"s earliest multi-sport athletes and well-recognized entertainment stars.