Flanagan, John J.
Track and field
b. Jan. 9, 1873, Kilbreedy, Ireland
d. June 4, 1938
Except for one two-year stretch, Flanagan held the world hammer throw record from 1896 until 1911. He set the record for the first time with a throw of 147 feet to win the 1896 British championship, then emigrated to the United States.
He was the first to surpass 150 feet (in 1897), 160 feet (1899), 170 feet (1901) and 180 feet (1909). His final world record throw was 37 feet, 8 inches longer than his first and It made him the oldest athlete ever to break world record in any track and field event.
Flanagan was the Olympic hammer throw champion in 1900, 1904, and 1908. He also won a silver medal in the 56-pound weight throw in 1904, when he was fourth in the discus. He was the AAU national champion in the hammer throw from 1897 through 1899, and in 1901, 1902, 1906, and 1907, and he won the 56-pound weight championship in 1899, 1901, 1904, 1906, and 1907.
Like many of the great Irish-American weight throwers of his time, Flanagan was a New York City policeman. He retired from the force in 1911 and returned to Ireland. Shortly afterward, he won the hammer throw for the Irish national team in its annual grudge match against Scotland.