Irrigation Ditch to Olympic GoldConstant Wonder • Season 2022, Episode 1081, Segment 2
Jul 9, 2021 • 10m
In Maui, in 1937, a Japanese-American school teacher, unable to swim himself, challenged his impoverished students to train for Olympic gold. They swam in an irrigation ditch by their school and faced near impossible challenges, including the games’ cancellation in 1940.
Guest: Julie Checkoway, author of "The Three-Year Swim Club: The Untold Story of Maui’s Sugar Ditch Kids and Their Quest for Olympic Glory"