Men's 4 x 100m Freestyle Relay: USA obliterates world record

Updated: 2008-08-11 13:51:33

(L-R) Cullen Jones, Jason Lezak, Michael Phelps and Garrett Weber-Gale pose with the gold (Photo credit: Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)

(BEIJING, August 11)-- In one of the all-time great relay swims, the United States overhauled the French team in the shadows of the finish line to complete a stunning Men's 4 x 100m Freestyle Relay win on Monday, smashing the world record by nearly four seconds in the process.

The US team of Michael Phelps, Garret Weber-Gale, Cullen Jones and Jason Lezak proved unstoppable, with Lezak producing a superb anchor leg to reel in Alain Bernard of France and give the US a victory by 0.08 seconds in 3min 08.24sec. Australia took Bronze in 3:09.91.

The world record set by the US on Saturday was smashed by the Americans again - by a stunning 3.99 seconds - and the first five finishers in the final (United States, France, Australia, Italy and Sweden) all went under the old world record.

The US and Australia went head-to-head for the first 200m, with France further back. France's Frederick Bousquet slipped past the Australians in the third leg to challenge for the lead. Lezak went into the final leg well behind Bernard, with the Frenchman holding a comfortable lead, but then Lezak began to haul in a fading Bernard over the final 30m. With both men lunging for the line, Lezak just touched out Bernard to give the US gold.

The US relay team celebrate (Photo credit: Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)

"It was unbelievable! Jason (Lezak) finished the race better than we could have asked for. In the last 50 (meters), I was like, this is going to be a really close race. At the end, as you could see I was pretty excited, I was very emotional," Phelps said after the race.

Australia's Eamon Sullivan set a world record for the Men's 100m with a stunning lead-off leg of 47.24 to shave more than two-tenths of a second off Bernard's old mark. Sullivan's superb swim means the 22-year-old will start as favorite in front of Bernard for the Men's 100m Freestyle. Heats start on Tuesday, 12 August.