Lezak's Record Anchor Leg Leads Stirring Comeback as U.S. Wins Olympic Gold in 4x100 Free Relay

Former UC Santa Barbara swimmer Jason Lezak ’99 recorded the fastest anchor leg in history on Monday to lead the U.S. to the gold medal in the 4x100 freestyle relay at the Olympic Games in Beijing. Lezak was nearly a body-length behind France's Alain Bernard, the world record holder in the 100 meter freestyle entering the race, at the outset of the final lap, but the Irvine, Calif., native tracked him down and touched first.

The U.S. team of Lezak, Michael Phelps, Garrett Weber-Gale, and Cullen Jones won the event in a world record time of 3:08.24. The French squad won the silver in a time of 3:08.32. Australia placed third.

Phelps swam the first leg for the American team, going 47.51 and narrowly missing Bernard's world record time of 47.50. Australian Eamon Sullivan, however, was in front at 47.24, breaking Bernard's world record. Weber-Gale swam the second leg and pushed the U.S. into first place. France's Frederick Bousquet surged ahead of Jones in the third leg, setting the stage for Lezak's heroics.

At 350 meters, Bernard was .18 of a second ahead.

"I'm not going to lie," Lezak said after the race. "When I flipped at the 50, I still saw how far ahead he was, and he was the world-record holder 'til about two minutes before that, when Sullivan led off with the world record, I thought, it really crossed my mind for a split second, there's no way.

"Then I changed. I said, you know what, that's ridiculous. This is the Olympics. I'm here for these guys. I'm here for the United States of America. It's more than -- I don't care how bad it hurts, or whatever, I'm just going to go out there and hit it. Honestly, in like five seconds, I was thinking all these things -- you know, just got like a super charge and took it from there. It was unreal."

Lezak's split was 46.06, the fastest split of all-time.

Lezak, who graduated from UCSB in 1999 and was a two-time Big West Swimmer of the Year, is participating in his third Olympics for the United States. He also medaled at the 2000 Sydney Games and the 2004 Athens Olympics. He will continue his pursuit for Olympic gold in the 100-meter freestyle and 4X100 medley relay later this week.

Bringing home an individual medal is a goal of Lezak’s, according to Gregg Wilson, UC Santa Barbara head swim coach. “He wants to be able to show himself and people that he’s good enough for an individual medal, and I believe he is,” Wilson said.

The Beijing Olympic Games will begin on Aug. 8 and broadcast on NBC. In addition, all Olympic contests will be broadcast live online. Check nbcolympics.com for more details.

Beach Volleyball — Aug. 9- 22
Swimming — Aug. 10- 21
Water Polo — Aug. 10-22

Todd Rogers — Volleyball

Former Gaucho Todd Rogers ’96 and beach volleyball partner Phil Dalhausser took its first victory of the Olympic Games on Aug. 11, defeating Switzerland's Sascha Heyer and Patrick Heuscher, 21-15, 21-10 in 42 minutes in a pool play match at the Chaoyang Park Beach Volleyball Ground.

After losing to Latvia's 23rd-ranked Martins Plavins and Aleksandrs Samoilovs, Dalhausser and Rogers, ranked second, improved their pool play record to 1-1. They will face Argentina's Mariano Joaquin Baracetti and Martin Alejo Conde on at 9 a.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 13 for the chance to advance to the Round of 16. All the teams in Pool B are now tied at 1-1.

"It was a much better game on our side," Rogers said. "Considering how poorly we played against Latvia, it felt very, very good."

Showing a return to the form they displayed when they won three straight SWATCH FIVB World Tour Events in June and July, Dalhausser and Rogers dominated the match, scoring on 23 kills, seven blocks, and four aces. Heyer and Heuscher scored on 18 kills and two aces with no blocks.

Mark Warkentin —10K Open Water Race

Volunteer assistant swim coach Mark Warkentin ’84 qualified for his first Olympics at the 5th FINA Open Water World Championships in the 10K open water race. The National Champion earned his spot at the Olympics after finishing 7th in a time of 1:53:37.1. The 2008 Summer Olympics will hold the first 10K marathon swimming event at the Games. “My timing for this open water was perfect. If the 10k wasn’t added until 2012, I might not be an Olympian,” said Warkentin, who has competed in three Olympic Trials.

Brian Alexander — Water Polo

Brian Alexander ’05 is heading to Beijing as an alternate for the Men’s Water Polo team. He serves as a power driver on the men’s team, which begins competition Aug. 10 against China. Alexander played on the UCSB men’s water polo team during the 2001-04 seasons and was a two-time All-American.

Bob Alejo — Volleyball Coaching

Bob Alejo, the strength and conditioning director at UCSB since 2005, will be joining Rogers and Dalhausser in a coaching capacity.

Wolf Wigo — NBC Water Polo Analyst

UC Santa Barbara head men’s and women’s water polo coach, Wolf Wigo, will serve as a water polo analyst at the Beijing Games for NBC this summer. A three-time Olympian and former captain of the USA Water Polo Men’s National Team, Wigo will provide his insight and expertise during the NBC broadcasts of both the men’s and women’s water polo contests.

Russ Hafferkanp — NBC Water Polo Stats Gatherer

Alum Russ Hafferkanp ’76, who was named All-American in water polo in 1975, will serve as a water polo stats gatherer for NBC.