Hawaii Waterman
Hall of Fame

Keo Nakama

Keo Nakama

Year of Induction:
2010
Sport:
Swimming
Open Water Swimming
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A native son of Maui and a student of fellow Hall of Famer Soichi Sakamoto, Keo Nakama was one of Hawaii’s greatest and hardest-working swimmers. Although WWII canceled his Olympic dreams, Keo won many worldwide and national swimming events. Keo became the first person to swim the 27-mile Molokai-Oahu channel at age 40. Later in life, he was a member of the Hawaii House of Representatives. Keo passed away in 2011 at the age of 91.

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