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As it was when we ranked the men in Wednesday’s column, the women’s top 10 (well, 12, because the last three were so close) of Hawaii all-time Olympic greats is loaded with aquatics champions. And, in another similarity, No. 1 goes back to more than 100 years ago. She was one of the youngest Olympians ever, which is another striking thing about this list — several made their mark as teenagers.
It’s also good to note here that any Olympian with a significant Hawaii tie was eligible for this list, not only those who competed for the U.S. team — and, it’s just my opinion and there’s plenty of room for debate.
No. 10 (tie): Heather Bown … The University of Hawaii volleyball star was a three-time Olympian, including starting at middle on the 2008 silver-medal-winning team in Beijing.
No. 10 (tie): Thelma Kalama Aiu … Kalama was one of the best of the second wave of Hawaii’s great world-class swimmers, winning a gold at London in 1948 in the 4×100 freestyle relay U.S. team. The Kaimuki High product was just 17 when she and her teammates set an Olympic record in the final.
No. 10 (tie): Keala O’Sullivan Watson … Another teen phenom, O’Sullivan was still a student at Punahou when she won the bronze medal in 3-meter springboard diving at the ’68 Mexico City games. She went on to coach at ‘Iolani.
No. 9: Clarissa Chun … The Roosevelt alumna was a pioneer in girls’ and women’s wrestling. She battled injuries throughout her career but brought home a bronze medal from the 2012 Olympics in London.
No. 8: Robyn Ah Mow … The star setter from the University of Hawaii and McKinley was a three-time Olympian, including the silver-medal-winning U.S. team in 2008 in Beijing. She started on the 2000 team that was fourth in Sydney and the squad that was fifth in Athens in 2004. Ah Mow is now the UH head coach.
No. 7: Evelyn Kawamoto Konno … As an 18-year-old swimmer at Helsinki in 1952, the McKinley High product set an Olympics record during the 400 freestyle trials, and won a bronze in the final. At the same games, she captured another bronze in the 4×100 freestyle relay. She later married another 1952 Olympic swimming star from McKinley, Ford Konno.
No. 6: Stacey Porter … The former UH slugger has two Olympic softball medals for Australia (silver at Athens in 2004 and bronze at Beijing in ’08), and she hasn’t stopped yet at age 39. The only thing that has slowed down the corner infielder is softball not being included in the past two Olympiads.
No. 5: Pokey Watson Richardson … She was just 14 when she won gold in the Tokyo Games of 1964, as a member of the 4×100 U.S. freestyle relay that set a world record in the final. Four years later at Mexico City, Watson struck gold on her own, setting an Olympics record with her finals victory in the 200 backstroke. She has lived in
Hawaii most of her adult
life, coaching swimming
at ‘Iolani.
No. 4: Brooke Wilkins-Penfold ….. The greatest pitcher in UH softball history helped her native Australia to three medals in three Olympiads (bronze, Atlanta ’96; bronze, Sydney ’00 and silver, Athens ’04).
No. 3: Lindsey Berg … The Punahou graduate was the starting setter on two silver-medal-winning U.S. teams, in 2008 in Beijing and 2012 in London. She was the backup to Ah Mow on the 2004 team that finished fifth in Athens.
No. 2: Natasha Kai … This ranking might seem high for a one-time Olympian, especially since the Kahuku and UH alumna was not always a starter on a star-studded American team. But Kai is the only gold medal winner (2008, Beijing) on this list in a team sport, and the U.S might not have made it to the medal matches without her; she scored the winning goal in overtime to get past Canada in the quarterfinals. The former WAC Player of the Year was an explosive goal-scoring force on the U.S. Women’s National Team for four years before a shoulder injury in 2009.
No. 1: Aileen Riggin Soule … She was 14 when she won Olympic gold in diving and 91 when she set her last world record in swimming. In 1920, Riggin was barely a teenager when she was among the first group of American women to compete in the Olympics, in Antwerp, where she said Duke Kahanamoku looked after her like a big brother. She won the springboard diving event to become the youngest Olympic champion. At the 1924 Paris Games, she added the Olympics’ first two-sport medalist to her growing list of achievements, earning a bronze in the 100 backstroke. She also medaled again in diving, this time with a silver. Riggin was born in Rhode Island and grew up in New York, but moved in 1957 to Hawaii, where she lived until her death in 2002 at 96. She never stopped as a pioneer in women’s sports, whether it was as one of the first female sportswriters, a many-times-over masters swimming world champion, or a highly sought-after inspirational speaker and ambassador for women and senior athletes. She was the flag bearer for the U.S. team at the opening ceremony of the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, and the last survivor of the 1920 team.
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