First to win at 3 Games in row

Born in Kilbreedy (1869-1938), near Kilmallock, Co Limerick, John J Flanagan was one of the most proficient athletes ever produced by this country. He became the first man to be crowned Olympic champion in one specific event at three consecutive games.

He had been a proficient sprinter and jumper in his earlier days, but in 1894 he began competing in weight throwing events and came into his own. He was the first person to perfect the three-turn technique in throwing the 16lb hammer from within the 7-foot circle. In 1896, he set a world record of marginally over 145 feet, beating by two feet the record set in the US by James Sarsfield Mitchell from Emly, Co Tipperary.

Flanagan went on to win the AAA championships in London that year. In 1897 he moved to the US, where, in 1897, he became the first person to throw the hammer more than 150ft, over 170ft in 1901, and over 180ft in 1909, when he was 40, making him the oldest athlete to set a world record in any track and field event.