Riis Lifeguard Tom O’Neill Wins Ironman & Heads to World Championship

By Katie McFadden

Riis Park’s federal lifeguards keep beachgoers safe on The People’s Beach all summer, which comes as no surprise with some of the best lifeguards in the country on staff. One such guard, Thomas O’Neill, on the job for 17 summers, proved just that, coming in first in the Ironman, one of the toughest events in the United States Lifesaving Association’s National Lifeguard Championships earlier this month. And now O’Neill, and fellow Riis guard Michael Faughnan, will be taking their skills to a world stage at the Lifesaving World Championships on the Gold Coast of Australia later this month.

For the last few years, Riis Park has had a strong showing at the USLA National Championships, placing second and first in their division, proving to be some of the top lifeguards in the country. This year, due to budget issues and many being unable to take time off, Riis had a smaller than usual team of only four guards, comprised of O’Neill, Daniel Collins, and Riis alumni, Benjamin Briglio and Aaron Anderson, at the Jersey Mike’s USLA National Championship in South Padre Island, TX, from August 7 through 9. Their team fell short of making the top three in their division this year. However, O’Neill and Collins had a strong showing in several events.

In the Surf Race, a swim event, O’Neill placed second and Collins placed fifth out of about 16 competitors. In the Run-Swim-Run event, O’Neill placed second. In the Open Rescue Race, the four-man Riis team came in fourth out of 11. In the Taplin Relay, the team came in fifth out of 16. In the Open Board Rescue Race, O’Neill came in third out of 13. However, in the Ironman, an event that consists of a swim component, a paddleboard component and a surf ski (or kayaking) component, Collins came in fifth, and O’Neill finally reached an achievement he’s been trying to accomplish for a decade—coming in first.

For O’Neill, it was a proud moment. “The guy who came in second this year, Brian Murphy from Los Angeles, has won it 10 times and I finished second in that event the last four years in a row. I finally beat him,” O’Neill said. It was the first time O’Neill came in first in the Ironman event, a race that he says, is “predominantly won by somebody from the west coast. This is only the second time someone from the east coast has won it. The last time was 1998,” he said. Winning the Ironman comes with glory as it’s an event that may potentially be included in the 2032 Summer Olympics in Brisbane, Australia. “It’s the event that everyone wants to do, and it requires the most amount of training. It’s the most prestigious event, I would say, of the competition, and it’s the most fun to train for,” O’Neill said, adding that he trains for the event year-round.

This achievement comes after not knowing if he would ever compete again. In 2022, O’Neill suffered from a severe back injury. “I practically couldn’t walk for a few weeks, and it nearly prevented me from competing that year,” he said. Thanks to regular physical therapy, with the help of his wife, who works as a physical therapist, O’Neill was able to continue competing. However, he still experiences residual effects of the injury. “I still have some significant nerve damage in my lower leg, so I work around that to cope and manage with it,” he said.

So, to come on top in the Ironman event was a big personal achievement for O’Neill. “There was a lot of relief and joy after. This wasn’t based on the work of this season, but the cumulative effect of training for this event over the last 10 to 12 years. Even if I had never won, that race, I’d still be happy with all that I’ve accomplished, but it was definitely the icing on the cake for me to win that race,” he said.

But O’Neill is already focused on this next task at hand. Based on cumulative results, including last year’s USLA National Championship, O’Neill and fellow Riis guard Michael Faughnan, both qualified for the six-man team to represent the U.S. at the Lifesaving World Championship. This will be O’Neill’s fifth world championship, and his fourth serving as team captain. O’Neill has previously competed in France in 2014, the Netherlands in 2016, Adelaide, Australia in 2018 and Italy in 2022. This will be Faughnan’s first world championship.

Both will leave Friday, August 23, to compete in events from August 28-31 on the Gold Coast of Australia. O’Neill will be participating in the Surf Race, which he’s won four times at Nationals, the Ironman, known as the Oceanman internationally, plus several relay events with his team. Faughnan will also be competing in the Surf Race, as well as doing several pool events, a specialty of his as an Iona University swimmer. And the competition will be fierce. Team USA, including O’Neill, Faughnan, three guards from L.A., including Brian Murphy, and one from Rehoboth Beach, DE, will be up against more than 60 other lifesaving teams from around the world, some of which include current Olympic swimmers.

However, O’Neill believes they’ll do well. “I think this will be my last international competition so I’m excited about it. All previous ones were in places that have little to no surf and this competition is gonna be in a place known for having big surf. A lot of guys come from landlocked counties in Europe and are fast in flat water but can’t handle choppy, rough water, like we get in Riis. I think we’ll do well since we’re confident knowing that we have a lot of experience in those conditions.”

But representing the U.S. and having two teammates from Riis Park comes with big pressure. “It makes you feel proud but also bears a lot of responsibility. You have to represent yourself well and your family, your beach, and your country, but we’re really proud to do it and it’s a great opportunity that not too many people get to experience,” O’Neill said.

O’Neill hopes others strive to experience it one day. “If any young kids in Rockaway want to experience anything like this, come down to Riis Park and talk to myself or any of the other guys on the team because we love growing the sport and teaching anyone who’s enthusiastic about the ocean. We’re always looking for new talent. We have a lot of veteran guys with a lot of knowledge to pass down,” O’Neill said.