Special to The Rip

During the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, all eyes were on one man, whose goal was to bring home an unprecedented eight gold medals.? In the end, Michael Phelps accomplished just that surpassing Mark Spitz for most gold medals won in a single Olympics.? But such a task would not have been possible without the help of one man who helped keep Phelps’ hopes alive.?
In the men’s 400-meter freestyle relay, Jason Lezak caught and outtouched French anchor and 100-meter world record-holder Alain Bernard to win the event for the United States and gave Phelps his second gold medal of the 2008 games.?
The oldest swimmer on the U.S. men’s team, Lezak, 32, swam a record 46.06-second anchor that resulted in a team time of 3 minutes, 8.24 seconds, which is a world record that beat the previous time of 3:12.23 set by the U.S. in the prelims. ?France, favored to win the event, finished with a time of 3:08.32.?
“It felt unbelievable,” said Lezak, who attended the Bakersfield Condors hockey game to help raise funds for the Ronald McDonald House on Nov. 8.? “All those years waiting from 2000 to 2004 we were supposed to win, and we came out a little bit short.? Finally, the French were the favorites this time around, and we went out there, and we showed it doesn’t matter if you’re the favorites or not.”
There were many thoughts going through Lezak’s mind prior to diving in after France had just caught and passed the United States.
“Before I left, I honestly thought that the first thing was I got to get off these blocks as fast as I can,” said Lezak.? “The guy’s ahead of me; he’s a world record-holder, and I can’t be standing on this block. ?I got to go.”
Anxious, Lezak thought he had disqualified his team by leaving the blocks too early.? During the swim, thoughts of doubt started dwelling in his mind.
“Once I got to the other end and saw he was almost a body length ahead of me, I had some terrible thoughts going through my head,” said Lezak.? “It’s impossible; there’s no way I’m going to catch this guy.”
Despite his doubts, Lezak was able to stay positive throughout the whole race.
“Obviously, I’m not going to give up,” said Lezak.? “I kept my positive energy, positive thoughts and kept on going.? I was creeping up on him throughout the lap and about 15 meters left, I got this extra surge of adrenaline and was able to finish real strong.”
Unsure of the outcome, Lezak didn’t know they had won until he looked up at the scoreboard and saw the official times.?
“It’s just an unbelievable feeling,” said Lezak.
Despite his heroics, Phelps’ quest for eight gold medals still overshadowed the relay team’s dramatic win.? However, Lezak never felt overlooked by Phelps’ personal mission.? ?????????
? “What he was trying to accomplish was much different than me,” said Lezak.? “I was just going out there to win a few medals, and he was going out trying to win eight, so, of course, everyone is going to be watching him as they should be.? He’s going down for history.? I’m just happy to be able to be a part and represent the U.S., regardless if I’m winning medals or not.”
Achieving gold in the men’s relay wasn’t Lezak’s only accomplishment during the 2008 Summer Olympics.? A personal milestone, Lezak also won his first individual medal tying for third in the 100 freestyle, which was an event won by the man he caught in the relay, Alain Bernard.?
?”It was only a bronze,” said Lezak.? “But it’s just as special to me as any of those other medals that I’ve ever won.? It was just a lot of years of hard work, and a lot of disappointments and a lot of learning from them.? Finally being able to get that medal felt great.”
When asked which was a bigger accomplishment, getting gold in the relay or his first individual medal, Lezak was indecisive.
?? “That’s a tough answer,” said Lezak.? “As far as how much those medals mean to me, they’re pretty equal.? I definitely feel really strong about those.”
?Even though the Olympics have come and gone, and Lezak is now back in the United States, things still haven’t settled down for him just yet.? He has been on the road a lot doing appearances and promotional events.?
?”I’m trying to motivate as many kids as I can,” said Lezak.? “I’m going out to different clubs, different teams, different clinics and also taking a stab at the corporate world.? It’s just a lot different than what I’ve been doing for the last few years of my life.”
He expects it to settle down soon and get back to a “more normal type of life” where he can do things he likes to do in his spare time like watch TV and play basketball.? A “big” Laker fan, he admitted that his passion growing up was basketball but had to give it up in pursuit of swimming.? Even now, he doesn’t play it much due to fear of injury.?
Lezak also plans to start a family within the next couple of years with his wife, former Olympic swimmer Danielle DeAlva.? The couple has been together for four years after getting married in April 2004.? DeAlva represented Mexico in Athens during the 2004 Olympics.? She is now a nurse and occasionally helps coach Lezak during his training.?
??When asked if he wanted his children to follow in his footsteps and become swimmers, Lezak replied, “I want them to try all kinds of things.? Whatever they have fun with.? That was important to me in growing up.? Just make sure you’re having fun with whatever sport you’re playing or school in general.”
Despite the Olympics being over, Lezak said that there isn’t much of an “off season” for him.?
“We have a lot of meets throughout the year,” said Lezak.? “Right now, I’m not training much.? I really take about a month off in my off season, and then I get straight back at it and get into a full-time training regiment.”
Lezak’s training is different from other swimmers.? According to Lezak, his training is “a lighter schedule than most.”
“I’m lucky because I swim just the 100 free,” said Lezak.? “There are a lot of people that swim that event, that swim four or five hours a day.? I only swim once a day about an hour and a half and do a lot of things that prepare me for that amount of time.?? I don’t feel like I have to swim twice a day.? I do weights a couple of times a week, and it prepares me the way I need to be prepared.”
Another reason why Lezak’s training separates him from the rest is the fact that Lezak trains without a coach.?
?”My (former) coach took a coaching position at USC, and I didn’t want to move. I didn’t want to drive,” said Lezak.? “I figured that was the only way I could do it.? I’m pretty knowledgeable from all the years that I’ve had coaches and learned a lot from them.? As far as motivating, I’m really self-motivated, so I don’t need someone yelling at me and telling me what to do.? It’s been pretty successful, so I’m going to continue at it.”
Lezak’s training isn’t just for upcoming events like a meet he is attending next month in Brazil but also for the 2012 Olympics.?
“I definitely plan on getting back at it and going for another shot in 2012,” said Lezak.?
Lezak will be 36 years old by the time the 2012 Olympics come around, but age isn’t going to be something that will hold him back.? During the 2008 Olympics, 41-year-old Dara Torres won three silver medals making her the oldest Olympic swimming medalist in?history.
?”She did an amazing job,” said Lezak regarding Torres’ performance in the 2008 games.? “She had a lot of years off throughout her career, so she hadn’t had the same kind of beating on her body as I did.? I’ve never taken a break.? Hopefully, I’ll be able to hold up, and that’ll be the major factor for me.”
?When asked about retirement and how he would like to go out, Lezak answered, “Obviously, I’d like to end it with success in the next Olympics.? Regardless, I feel like I’ve done pretty well in my career and if it doesn’t work out the way I want it to, I’m happy with how things went.”
Mark Nessia is a student in BC’s JRNL B2 Beginning Reporting class.