John J. Flanagan

Posted on Thursday, July 5th, 2018 by John Wood
John J. Flanagan, looking lean and mean in this rare shot from 1899, was one of the world’s greatest heavy event athletes. Flanagan, who immigrated to the U.S from Ireland in 1897, competed in three Olympic games: Paris (1900), St. Louis (1904), and London (1908). He won four Olympic medals, in the throwing events: three Golds in the Hammer (setting the Olympic record of 51.01 m) and one Silver medal in the 56-pound weight throw. Flanagan also competed in the discus in Paris in 1900 (finishing seventh) and in the Tug-O-War in the 1908 Olympics.

The Hammer throw continues to be an ongoing event in the Olympic Track and Field competition but the 56-pound weight was only contested twice: the 1904 Games in St. Louis, Missouri and the 1920 Games held in Antwerp, Belgium. The 56-pound weight is, however, still contested in the Highland Games where it is thrown for distance and height.
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Flanagan raised the world record in the 16 lbs. hammer throw in sixteen installments during his competitive career which lasted from 1895 to 1909. On July 24, 1909, at the age of 41, Flanagan set his last world record in the hammer with a throw of 56.18 meters.

All Contents, Including Images and Text, Copyright © 2005-2021 by John Wood and Thunderdome Media Inc., Not to be reproduced without permission, All Rights Reserved
Author: John Wood. All contents, including images and text, copyright © 2005-2021 by John Wood and Thunderdome Media Inc. Not to be reproduced without permission. All rights reserved. We will most likely grant permission but please contact us if you would like to repost. IMPORTANT: Equipment and books, courses etc. pictured in blog posts are generally not available for sale unless specifically noted.

Viggo Jensen

Posted on Thursday, November 30th, 2017 by John Wood
Viggo Jensen, the great Danish athlete, won the very first Gold medal ever awarded in the modern Olympics. At the 1896 games in Athens, Greece, Jensen, bested Launceston Elliott at the “Two-Hands” lifting event but injured his shoulder in doing so. This caused him to finish second to Elliott in the “One-Hand” event. At the same Olympics, Jensen competed in Rope Climbing, shot put, discus and two rifle events (taking Bronze in the free rifle.)

Louis Vasseur

Posted on Friday, March 21st, 2014 by John Wood

Louis Vasseur, Of Roubaix, was the first man to one-hand snatch 100kg (220 lbs.), a feat which he accomplished in 1911. Vasseur was also a great track and field athlete who excelled in the throwing events, especially the discus, in which he set a French professional record with a throw of 41.6 meters in 1912.
All Contents, Including Images and Text, Copyright © 2005-2021 by John Wood and Thunderdome Media Inc., Not to be reproduced without permission, All Rights Reserved
Author: John Wood. All contents, including images and text, copyright © 2005-2021 by John Wood and Thunderdome Media Inc. Not to be reproduced without permission. All rights reserved. We will most likely grant permission but please contact us if you would like to repost. IMPORTANT: Equipment and books, courses etc. pictured in blog posts are generally not available for sale unless specifically noted.