a robbery, but reminds us all why sports is magic

i still cant get over this, what was undoubtedly the biggest test and major checkpoint of Michael Phelps' record breaking gold haul at the Beijing Olympics. probably the toughest challenge to his assault on Mark Spitz' seven golds at a single Games, with many believing the US were the underdogs, the win provided the ultimate push for Phelps to go on and eclipse the mark. it was the point of no return.

i cant get over it coz it was not their win. it was not his gold. it was France's. even the Australians were contenders. but hats off to Team USA. in a race that saw five countries go below the previous world record, with many individual swimmers clocking unbelievable and never-before-seen laps, it was arguably one of all sport's greatest single event.

congrats (and Phelps although many people have said it u really need to buy him a Ferrari or something) Jason Lezak on an incredible 46.06 split, destroying Alain Bernard and the logic of what human beings can do.





let's look at numbers.

"before the prelims at these Games, the world record stood at 3:12.46, set in 2006. during the prelims, the US team broke that record, swimming 3:12.23.

one day later, in the Olympic final, to go and then chop 4 seconds off that mark is insane. it took 20 years (1988) for the record to drop 4 seconds to the 3:12 range.

the times in the prelims were so fast that it took 3:13.8 to get into the final. Russia, at 3:14.07, a second and a half off the world record, not good enough to make an event.

the Americans, French, Australians, Italians and Swedes smashed the world record together, in one swim. world record-breaking times for the Italians and Swedes, yet no medal.

Phelps swam the lead-off leg for the Americans in 47.51. the world record going into the race was 47.50.

to his left, in lane 3, Eamon Sullivan of Australia touched home first, in 47.24, a world record in the 100m (lead-off legs are eligible for national and world records).

the fastest Olympic lead-off split before this race was South Africa's Roland Schoeman, with a 48.17 in 2004, slow by now."

bound to be remembered as one of the miraculous moments of the Olympics.