Alain Bernard, French relay swimmer and (former) world record holder 100m Freestyle
Hmmmm. So who got the gold medal?
Granted, on paper, it looked as though the French team would win the relay. When I watched Jason Lezak dive in the water last night as the anchor leg, I am ashamed to say that I had pretty much conceded in my own mind that the Americans would get silver. The French guy had a solid lead on him, and the French guy was the world record holder at this distance. Kind of a tall order to expect Lezak to start .5 second back from the world record holder, be .8 seconds back at the turn, and then come around to win at the end. This incredible underwater shot I stole off the ESPN website shows how far Lezak (middle) was behind the French guy.
Lesson learned here: Never underestimate an athlete's heart. I can't believe anyone doesn't know this story already, but in case you went to sleep before it happened last night and then somehow missed the news this morning, Lezak came back in the last 10 meters and just out-touched Frenchie to the wall. Scott and I were watching and screaming at the top of our lungs at the TV (apologies due to our neighbors). You would have thought we were Lezak's teammates... 
It's probable that the win was all the sweeter for the Americans because of the rivalry between the two teams... fueled of course by Frenchie's quote before the race. Good to have confidence I guess, but apparently quiet confidence is the best method... rather than running your mouth off as some athletes are inclined to do. And to add salt to Frenchie's wound, he lost his world record too- broken by the leadoff Aussie swimmer last night who blasted his 100 meters. Lesson learned?
It's probable that the win was all the sweeter for the Americans because of the rivalry between the two teams... fueled of course by Frenchie's quote before the race. Good to have confidence I guess, but apparently quiet confidence is the best method... rather than running your mouth off as some athletes are inclined to do. And to add salt to Frenchie's wound, he lost his world record too- broken by the leadoff Aussie swimmer last night who blasted his 100 meters. Lesson learned?
1 comment:
That was soooo cool to watch! Ryan and I were screaming at the same time :-) The one good thing about being on the couch is that there are some great Olympics to watch! By the way, what's your email address?
Post a Comment