John J. Flanagan biography

 John J. Flanagan biography

John J. Flanagan, (born Jan. 9, 1873, Kilbreedy, County Limerick, Ireland—died June 4, 1938), Irish-American athlete, the primary Olympic hammer throw champion, who received three Olympic gold medals and set 14 world information.

A powerfully constructed man, standing 5 toes 8 inches (1.78 m) tall and weighing 220 kilos (100 kg), Flanagan demonstrated versatility in athletic occasions in his native Ireland. He received competitions within the lengthy and triple jumps, shot put, and hammer throw—taking the English hammer championship in 1896—earlier than emigrating to the United States that yr and turning into a policeman in New York City. One of the early masters of the three-turn method, Flanagan in 1897 turned the primary man to throw a hammer greater than 150 toes and in 1899 the primary to throw it past 160 toes. At the 1900 Olympic Games in Paris, Flanagan threw the hammer 49.73 m (163 toes 1 inch) to win the primary Olympic hammer throw competitors, an occasion that Irish-American throwers—nicknamed “Irish Whales”—would dominate for 20 years.

Flanagan additionally was the primary to throw the hammer past 170 toes (in 1901) and past 180 toes (in 1909). At the age of 36 he made his biggest throw, 56.19 m (184 toes 4 inches), to change into the oldest athlete to set a world file in a track-and-field occasion. With a throw of 51.23 m (168 toes 1 inch), he received a gold medal within the hammer throw on the 1904 Olympics in St. Louis, the place he additionally received a silver medal within the 56-pound weight throw and completed fourth within the discus. When he received a 3rd gold medal for the hammer throw (51.92 m [170 feet 4 inches]) on the 1908 Games in London, the group booed him for his Irish heritage.

Flanagan returned to Ireland in 1911 and received his remaining worldwide occasion competing towards Scotland in 1911. He later coached Patrick O’Callaghan, the Irish hammer thrower who received Olympic gold medals in 1928 and 1932.