I wish I were a swimmer these days. I can swim, of course, having spent 5 years in the U.S. Navy, but my swimming is more like violently splashing and kicking that results in some forward movement at a pace slightly faster than driftwood. I'm really great at floating, when you compare me to the U.S. team.

To be a swimmer these days is to know what pride is and to realize your sport  may become the most chosen by a generation of high school athletes.

Last night, August 10th, 2008, Michael Phelps won his 2nd gold medal. Just hours ago, the U.S. men's 4x100m free relay team won gold Monday in the most exciting, most record-breaking, most amazing, thrilling, unbelievable relay anyone could ever imagine at any Olympics.

Though Michaels’ quest for 8 is still alive, it almost came to end last night if not for Jason Lezak, who swam the greatest anchor leg in relay history.

"People always step up and do things out of the ordinary at the Olympics," said Jason.

Out of the ordinary doesn‘t describe it fully. Extraordinary cannot give it enough meaning.

The U.S. men -- Michael Phelps, Garrett Weber-Gale, Cullen Jones and Jason Lezak -- set a world record, finishing in 3:08.24. France took second, Australia third.

The French and even the Australians had widely been considered pre-race favorites.

"He's on a mission to win eight," Jones said of Phelps, "and we're happy to be a part of it."

The French had been talking plenty of smack-down before the race. They had been quite boisterous in their apparent disrespect of the American’s Relay Teams’ abilities. Currently, they aren’t saying much as the American team have them eating crow - or croissants - if you prefer.

Afterward, asked on television who's talking now, Weber-Gale said, "We are. United States of America."

"C'est le sport," one of the French racers, Fabien Gilot, said afterward, which means literally, "It's sport." A bit of a let down remark, after hearing them talk trash leading up to the final result.

In 2000, the Americans took the silver medal, losing the gold medal for the first time in this event since the 1964 Olympics. In Athens in 2004, the South Africans took gold, the Dutch silver, the Americans bronze.

This Olympics, for the Americans, meant redemption as well. Especially for Lezak, who had swum the third leg on that 2000 relay, anchor in 2004.

"I had more adrenaline going than I ever had in my life," Lezak said.

"America has a great tradition of winning that relay," he also said, adding just a moment later, "All of us knew what we're capable of, but to actually do it, to get that tradition back -- it's a phenomenal feeling. Still, right now, I'm in disbelief."

No doubt spectators and especially those in the sport of swimming are also in disbelief. One only has to look at the numbers posted to get a grasp of how amazing this event was. Numbers, that when analyzed, will keep the sports community pondering for years to come.

Before the preliminaries at these Games, the world record in the 4x100 relay stood at 3:12.46. That mark was set by an American team swimming in 2006.

One day ago, during the prelims, a U.S. team broke that record, swimming 3:12.23. (Under Olympic rules, the swimmers in the prelims get gold medals, too. Nathan Adrian, Matt Grevers and Ben Wildman-Tobriner swam with Jones.)

One day later, in the Olympic final, to go and then chop 4 seconds off that mark is amzing. It took 20 years for the record to drop 4 seconds to the 3:12 range. In 1988, at the Seoul Olympics, an American team lowered the record to 3:16.53.

But wait, there’s more!

The times in the prelims were so fast that it took 3:13.8 to get into Monday's final. Russia, at 3:14.07, didn't make it, even with a second and a half off the world record, it wasn't good enough for the Olympic final. Astounding.

During the final, five teams went under the mark the U.S. team had set in Sunday's prelims -- the Americans, French, Australians, Italians and Swedes. World record-breaking times for the Italians and Swedes with no medal. Unbelievable

But wait, there’s more!

Phelps swam the lead-off leg for the Americans. He swam 47.51. The world record, going into the race: 47.50, by France's Alain Bernard, lining up Sunday to swim the French anchor leg in the relay.

Phelps' mark is now the American record. His prior personal best had been 47.92, at the 2008 U.S. Olympic Trials.

The fastest Olympic lead-off split before Sunday: South Africa's Roland Schoeman, with a 48.17 in 2004.

If swimming translates into numbers, it also is about so much more.

Weber-Gale caught, and passed, the next Australian swimmer, Andrew Lauterstein. At 200 meters, the United States was in first.

Then, though, the French, behind Frederick Bousquet, surged. At 300 meters, it was France, the United States, Australia.

Bernard was off the blocks first.

Then went Lezak. If one member can be given a title of Hero, among a team of heroes, in this race it was Jason Lezak.

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

One lap to go. The noise inside the arena was ferocious. At the other end of the pool, the Americans were going berserk.

"I was going nuts," Phelps said. "You know, as soon as he came off that last wall, I just started going crazy. You know, Jason also said before, 'You know, this isn't a 4 by 100, this is a 400. We're a team.' "

Lezak later recounted that he had seen Bernard hit the far wall first.

"I'm not going to lie," Lezak said. "When I flipped at the 50 and 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 5 seconds, I was thinking all these things -- you know, just got like a super charge and took it from there. It was unreal."

Unreal may be the best description of what happened in the final lap.

At 30 meters, Bernard was still ahead.

At 20 meters, Bernard was still ahead.

However, Lazak was gaining on him.

At the wall, Lezak got his hand out in front. He touched a mere .08 of a second in front of Bernard.

Before Sunday, the closest finish in the event in the Olympics had been in Sydney, when the Australians beat the Americans by .19 of a second.

With the pressure of all of it on him, Lezak threw down the fastest split of all time, 46.06.

Yes, we are all watching Michael Phelps. Yes, we all will be amazed should he achieve those 8 gold medals. Let’s not forget to give our other athletes their accolades, so well deserved.

Jason Lezak pulled out an amazing victory from the jaws of defeat, not only for himself, but for his country and his teammates.

Sometimes extraordinary things can be done by those who refuse to accept defeat.