This was the most exciting race of the Olympic swimming events this year and possibly ever.  Michael Phelps led off for the US Swim Team.  The surprise at the start was Australia with a huge lead after the first turn.  A number of swimmers after the first leg were well ahead of the World Record.

Garrett Weber-Gale in his first Olympic swim jumped in for the second leg and took the lead.  The US remained in the lead with Cullen Jones swimming in the third leg, but France took it by the turn.

Going into the final leg, anchor man Jason Lezak jumped in the pool well behind.  It looked like the Frenchman Bernard was pulling away at the final turn.

Jason Lezak started to close with ½ of a lap to go and pulled off a miraculous finish to take the Gold for America!!  A clutch anchor swim we will remember forever.  The Frenchman Bernard had to eat his words from earlier in the day.

Lezak later said, “I’ve been on the last two relays, where we came up short, and to be honest with you, I was tired of losing.”

Bernard, the braggart Frenchman, blew the race in the final lap.  He had said earlier in the day, “The Americans?  We’re going to smash them.  That’s what we came for.”  He ate those words!!  Lezak, the US Team Captain, had much more heart and sportsmanship, and the US team destroyed the world record with a time of 3:08.24.

Better luck next time Bernard.

This keeps Phelps hopes for 8 gold medals in these Olympics alive.  He now has two!!

The sweetest part of this race was knowing the French were listening to the US National Anthem at the end.

WATCH THE HISTORIC and DRAMATIC WIN IN ITS ENTIRETY
INCLUDING THE AWARDING CEREMONY!