After nine months of chasing his Olympic dream from Brazil to Dubai to Spain to Indianapolis, local open-ocean swimmer John Flanagan's quest to represent the United States at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing hits the decisive stretch this weekend.

Flanagan, 32, will be one of the most experienced competitors in tomorrow's USA Swimming Open Water World Championship Trials at Miromar Lakes Beach and Golf Club in Fort Myers, Fla.

Both he and fellow Punahou alum Noa Sakamoto are considered part of of a short list of competitors with a good shot at advancing to the Open Water World Championships — a direct Olympic qualifier — next April in Seville, Spain. Two men and two women from this weekend's field of 60 competitors will advance to the championships.

Flanagan and Sakamoto, who attends Stanford University, qualified for the trials by placing third and fourth respectively in the Open Water Grand Prix in Indianapolis, in August.

"It's been a steady climb and a lot of races," said Flanagan, who arrived in Florida earlier this week to acclimate to the conditions. "It's extremely hard to qualify because the field is extremely competitive and there are only two spots."

Flanagan spent the summer training twice a day with Sakamoto in Honolulu and the two talk about twice a week, Flanagan said. Both hold out the hope that they'll still be competing side-by-side in Seville.

"That's what we're shooting for," Flanagan said. "This is one race where second place is just as good as first."

The two will face stiff competition from three-time 10K national champion Chip Peterson of Chapel Hill, N.C.; Pan American Games gold medalist Fran Crippen of Conshohocken, Penn.; and current 25K national champion Mark Warkentin of Santa Barbara, Calif.

Worse, there has been word that the field may also include a few bandit competitors in the form of local alligators.

"I don't care about sharks," Flanagan said. "But gators ... "

While Flanagan is considered relatively old to be competing at such a high level, his performances over the past nine months haven't revealed any signs of slippage and Flanagan says he's swimming as well, or better, than he ever has.

Flanagan will also rely on his experience in international competition to gain an edge on his rivals.

"A lot of times the person who makes the fewest mistakes is the one who wins," he said. "I try to think of different scenarios and how I will react. There are a lot of things going on in a race and a lot of choices that you have to make. For me, it's exciting."

Flanagan said he's most comfortable building a lead early and holding on, but he's aware that course conditions and a host of other variables makes predicting the outcome a race almost impossible.

"My strength is in my endurance," he said. "Younger swimmers might have more strength and speed, so it would be to my advantage to get out at a harder pace and try to drop them rather than waiting for the last 200 meters to sprint, which I've also done."

Reach Michael Tsai at mtsai@honoluluadvertiser.com.