The History of Asian Pacific American Olympic Champions

Asian American History 101

Welcome to Season 4, Episode 32! Do you know who the first Asian Pacific American Olympic champions were? We didn’t know, so we researched, and are here to share it with you! In this episode we talk about the lives of Duke Kahanamoku, Vicki Manalo Draves, and Sammy Lee, our first Asian Pacific American Olympic heroes.

It’s amazing what each of them overcame to be able to represent the United States in the Olympic Games… and not just represent but become champions. Their accomplishments should be part of the curriculum in every school in the U.S. because in so many ways, they embody what we think of when we talk about the American Dream. To learn more, here are some media to help you:

• Waterman, a film about Duke Kahanamoku that was directed by Isaac Halasima
• Waterman: The Life and Times of Duke Kahanamoku by David Davis
• Surfer of the Century: The Life of Duke Kahanamoku by Ellen Crowe
• Sixteen Years in Sixteen Seconds: The Sammy Lee Story by Paula Yoo
• The Story of Olympic Diver Sammy Lee by Paula Yoo
• Changing the Game: Asian Pacific American Female Athletes (includes a section on Vicki Manalo Draves) by Mia Wenjen

In our recurring segment, we talk about what we’ve been reading, and Ted shares some thoughts about The Poppy War trilogy by R.F. Kuang.

If you like what we do, please share, follow, and like us in your podcast directory of choice or on Instagram @AAHistory101. For previous episodes and resources, please visit our site at https://asianamericanhistory101.libsyn.com or social media links at http://castpie.com/AAHistory101. If you have any questions, comments or suggestions, email us at [e-mail].

Segments

• 00:25 Asian Pacific American Olympic Update
• 06:51 The History of Asian Pacific American Olympic Champions: Duke Kahanamoku, Vicki Manalo Draves, and Sammy Lee
• 30:23 What are We Reading? The Poppy War Trilogy by R.F. Kuang