Our next installment of the Top 10 Games of the Decade takes us to Beijing 2008. This Olympics was particularly memorable for several reasons. The US Redeem Team won back the Gold, the US Volleyball team overcame tragedy to triumph, and the Chinese gymnasts... well, we won't go there. However, the drama and intensity (see half man, half condor above) of this event stood out above the rest. The Olympics of the 2000s will be remembered for one thing, Phelps' 8 Gold Medals. And this race might be the biggest reason why...
What: Gold Medal 4x100 Freestyle Swimming Relay
Where: Beijing National Aquatics Center - aka The Water Cube
When: August 11, 2008
How: This was the 2nd race in 8 for Michael Phelps' quest to become the first human being to win 8 Gold Medals in a single Olympiad. However, the 4x100m Freestyle was going to be perhaps the toughest race for Phelps and the Americans to win. They had to go up against a powerhouse French team which included anchor man Alain Bernard who offered up this bulletin board material for everyone to soak in:
"The Americans? We're going to smash them. That's what we came here for."For the first 3 legs, it looked like Bernard was prophetic. Even with Phelps swimming the first leg at record pace, the French had a commanding lead going into the last swimmer. Bernard would have the chance to be the hero and it was up to American veteran Jason Lezak to swim down the snooty Frenchman. The rest as they say, is history...
Lezak, the oldest swimmer on the US team at 32, proceeded to swim the fastest 100 meters in the history of the 100m relay at 46.06 seconds. Lezak's comeback, and the Gold Medal win, will always be remembered as one of the most remarkable moments in Olympic history.
Why: The significance of this race isn't just in the thrilling comeback by the Americans. This was swimming taking center stage in the national landscape. In the States, it was shown on primetime network television. Everyone, and I mean everyone, was tuned in to watch this race. Heck, people were even excited about being able to shut up the French, that's always cool! Most of all though, the people wanted to see if Phelps could break the record. We all knew that this was his one of his biggest stumbling blocks.
But, a funny thing happened, Phelps wasn't the hero... Lezak was. This was about athletics in the purest form (aside from the high-tech suits) and a hero rising up from out of nowhere. The next day, all of America and the world was talking about that race. Do you ever remember another time when swimming captivated the masses? That 4x1oom relay will go down in the history books as not only one of the most exciting swimming races of all-time, but one of the most exciting moments in the history of the Olympics, period. Ironically, this race was matched in drama by Phelps' win in the 100m Butterfly days later:
That race was cool too, and Phelps went on to his 8 Gold Medals and accolades all around the world... but he owes a huge debt of gratitude to Jason Lezak, Garrett Weber-Gale, and Cullen Jones: the 4x100m US Freestyle Team.
Others Considered:
2000 Summer - Rulon Gardner d. Alexander Karelin Gold Medal Wrestling
2002 Winter - Sarah Hughes wins Gold Figure Skating
2004 Summer - Argentina d. USA Basketball Semifinal
2008 Summer - USA d. Spain Basketball Gold Medal Game
2008 Summer - Phelps Wins Gold in 100m Butterfly
2008 Summer - USA d. Brazil Volleyball Gold Medal Game
Next up, we'll stay on the world stage again and go to Wimbydon with the Tennis Match of the Decade. I'll give you a hint, it involves that Federer dude. Until next time, bye for now.
No comments:
Post a Comment