As a 13-year-old at the
1932 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, California, Flanagan competed in the semifinals of the
men's 1,500-meter freestyle. Four years later at the
1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin, Germany, he won a silver medal as a member of the second-place U.S. team in the
men's 4×200-meter freestyle relay. Individually, he finished fourth in the
men's 400-meter freestyle and fifth in the
men's 1,500-meter freestyle. During the height of his training, he swam for the Miami Swim Club and the Miami Biltmore Aquatic Club. Flanagan won an unprecedented 20 American Athletic Union titles and set 26 American and two world records. During his career, he held every U.S. freestyle record ranging from the 220-yard event to the mile.
Post-swimming careers After his retirement from competitive swimming, he continued to serve the sport as a professional for the Red Cross, later serving as the director of safety programs for Los Angeles.
Honors Flanagan was inducted into the
International Swimming Hall of Fame as an "Honor Swimmer" in 1978. ==See also==