Did you watch the men's 4 x 100 freestyle relay the other day? It was the most amazing swim I've ever seen! The boys really wanted to stay up, but we sent them to bed an hour before it began.
All night, the commentators had been talking about how the French were favored to win, and that the Australians were also very strong. Phelps swam the first leg, but the Australians finished it first. We held the lead for a short time, but by the final turn the French swimmer (Bernard) was ahead of Lezak (the US swimmer) by .8 of a second. It looked like a lot, too--about a body length, I'd say. About halfway across the pool, Lezak started pouring it on, and touched just .08 ahead of Bernard! It was almost impossible to discern, even in the replays.
The next day, it wasn't enough to say the US had won--I really wanted everyone to that amazing race. You may be able to watch it on NBC's olympic website, but for some reason we can't play their videos. After a few days, a version of the race (not just highlights or photos) showed up on YouTube. It's from a British-sounding broadcast, and the commentary is priceless, especially when you already know the outcome. If you missed seeing the whole swim, treat yourself:
If the link above doesn't work (this video has moved around a few times), try going back to YouTube. The movie's current title is "Beijing 2008 swiming men 4 x 100 m freestyle final". (Yes, swiming is spelled incorrectly.) It's 3:51 long. Good luck.
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