At the biggest Ironman race in the world – the World Championships in Kona, Hawaii – John Flanagan has distinguished himself as the biggest threat in the water aside from the rough waters, crashing waves, and taxing currents. In the past two years, the Hawaii-native has successfully exited the water first and earned the respect of the entire triathlon community. And he’s just going to keep getting better.

At the recent 2009 Ironman World Championships, Flanagan repeated finishing first in the swim leg with a split of 47:42 in TYR’s Tracer Sayonara swimskin. Slightly slower than his 47:02 split the year prior, the race was an overall stronger performance as he dropped 34 minutes and 35 seconds.

Leading up to Kona, Flanagan had continued to build his bike and run skills to help strengthen his transition into a strong competitor on the triathlon scene. An example of this came at the 2009 Ironman Louisville race, where he started out with an outstanding swim leg to set a new course record in 44:54 (averaging 1:10 per 100 meters). Demonstrating his growth in the following legs, he held on to place 6th overall with a time of 8:53:07.

Flanagan’s swim talent, endurance, and mental toughness for the long haul comes from years of competitive swimming. A collegiate swimmer for Auburn University, he helped the program to a national championship in 1997. He then went on to represent Team USA four years in open water swimming. During that time, he captured gold at the 1998 World Championships and the Pan Pacific Games, and became a 2001 National Champion in the 10K. For his achievements, he was inducted into the Hawaii Swimming Hall of Fame after deciding to hang up the towel.

Retirement did not last long, as he found himself training again in 2007 when he heard that the 10K race would be added to the 2008 Beijing Olympic program. Getting back in shape, he competed at the FINA World Cup Circuit in 2007, qualifying for and competing in the U.S. Open Water Olympic Trials where he placed eighth. Although missing his spot on the USA Team, it was that inspiration that got Flanagan’s competitive juices flowing, and got him in shape to battle the toughest in triathlon.

Currently training in Hawaii, Flanagan manages to juggle being a professional athlete while wearing multiple other hats. He is a husband and father to two kids, and serves as head coach of the Kamehameha Swim Club.