Jason Lezak

Jason Lezak

Jason Lezak at the Maccabiah Games 07/2009
Personal information
Full name	Jason Edward Lezak
Nationality	United States
Stroke(s)	Freestyle
Date of birth	November 12, 1975 (1975-11-12) (age 34)
Place of birth	Irvine, California, United States
Height	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Weight	210 lb (95 kg)
Medal record Men's swimming Competitor for the  United States Olympic Games Gold 2000 Sydney 4x100 m medley Gold 2004 Athens 4x100 m medley Gold 2008 Beijing 4x100 m freestyle Gold 2008 Beijing 4x100 m medley Silver 2000 Sydney 4x100 m freestyle Bronze 2004 Athens 4x100 m freestyle Bronze 2008 Beijing 100 m freestyle World Championships (LC) Gold 2005 Montreal 4x100 m freestyle Gold 2005 Montreal 4x100 m medley Gold 2007 Melbourne 4x100 m freestyle World Championships (SC) Gold 2002 Moscow[1] 4x100 m freestyle Gold 2002 Moscow 4x100 m medley Gold 2004 Indianapolis[2] 100 m freestyle Gold 2004 Indianapolis 4x100 m freestyle Gold 2004 Indianapolis 4x100 m medley Silver 2006 Shanghai 4x100 m medley Bronze 2006 Shanghai[3] 4x100 m freestyle Pan Pacific Championships Gold 2002 Yokohama 50 m freestyle Gold 2002 Yokohama 4x100 m Medley Gold 2006 Victoria 4x100 m freestyle Gold 2006 Victoria 4x100 m medley Silver 1999 Sydney 4x100 m freestyle Silver 2006 Victoria 100 m freestyle Silver 2002 Yokohama 4x100 m freestyle Summer Universiade Gold 1997 Catania 4x100 m freestyle Maccabiah Games Gold 2009 Israel 50 m freestyle Gold 2009 Israel 100 m freestyle Gold 2009 Israel 4x100 m freestyle Gold 2009 Israel 4x100 m medley

Jason Edward Lezak (born November 12, 1975) is an American Olympic swimmer.

He formerly swam for Irvine Novaquatics. He graduated from Irvine High School in 1994, and then from the University of California, Santa Barbara in 1999. He is a member of the Rose Bowl Aquatics swim club. The head coach, Jeff Julian, is a good friend.

He is 193 cm (6 ft 4 in) tall and weighs 93 kg (205 pounds). Lezak is a specialist in the 50 and 100 m freestyle races. He also owns long-course world records in the 400m freestyle and medley relays, as well a former American record holder in the 100 Free. Lezak is one of the few elite swimmers not to have a personal coach. Despite this, Lezak enjoys team sports and fellow American Gary Hall Jr. dubbed Lezak as a "professional relay swimmer" at the 2004 Olympic Trials before their matchup in the 100m freestyle. ^[4][5]

Personal life

Lezak was born in Irvine, California to a Jewish family. Lezak pronounced Leh-Zhock (short e), means lounge/lawn chair in Polish.^{[citation needed]} Lezak attended El Camino Real Elementary School, which is now known as Woodbury Elementary. Jason currently lives in Irvine, California, his hometown, with his wife, Danielle.

Career

Lezak's first long-course international swimming gold medal was in 2000, when he was part of the 4×100 m medley relay in the Olympics in Sydney. He also won a silver medal in the 4×100 m freestyle relay. In short-course competitions he won five world championships, four relays plus a gold in the 100 m freestyle in 2004. Lezak has also won 7 US Championships, three times in the 50 m freestyle and four in the 100 m freestyle.

He competed in several events at the 2004 Olympic Games, and was a member of the 4x100 metre medley relay team that set a new world record at the games. He also won a bronze medal in the 4×100 m freestyle relay and finished fifth in the 50 m freestyle single race.

At the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, Lezak was the oldest male on the U.S. swim team. He anchored the U.S. 4×100 meter freestyle relay team that won the gold medal and set a new world record. In the final 25 meters, Lezak overtook French team anchor Alain Bernard (the world record holder in the 100m freestyle going into the relay) to win gold despite Bernard having nearly a full body length's advantage when Lezak started his leg and half a body length with 25 meters from the end. Lezak split a 46.06, the fastest 100 meter freestyle split in history, by nearly six tenths of a second. Rowdy Gaines commented shortly after the race that "that might be the most incredible relay split I've ever seen in my entire life." The final time of the American team was 3:08:24, which was 3.99 seconds faster than the previous world record. France finished second at 3:08.32, eight hundredths of a second behind—the closest finish in the event's history. The victory came only days after Bernard had issued inflammatory statements, stating that his team would "smash" the United States team in the race. This was a crucial race for Michael Phelps, for he needed it to complete the amazing goal of winning eight gold medals in a single Olympic Games, which would break Mark Spitz's record of seven gold medals at the Munich Games in 1972.^[6]

Lezak tied for bronze, his first medal in an individual Olympic event, with Brazilian swimmer César Cielo Filho in the 100 m freestyle with a time of 47.67. He anchored the 4 x 100 metre medley relay to give Team USA the title, which was also Phelps's record-setting eighth gold medal of the Beijing Games.

Following the 2008 Olympic Games, Lezak appeared as a guest on The Today Show, The Ellen Degeneres Show, Late Night with Conan O'Brien^[7], and ESPN's Jim Rome is Burning.

2009

Lezak forwent the 2009 World Aquatics Championships to compete in the 18th Maccabiah Games in Israel from July 12-29.^[8] Lezak was given the honour of lighting the Maccabiah torch at the Opening Ceremony.^[9] At the Maccabiah Games, Lezak won gold medals in the 50m freestyle, 100m freestyle, 4x100m freestyle relay, and 4x100m medley relay.^[10]

Future Competition

Lezak hopes to compete in the 2012 Olympic Games, if his finances permit him to continue training. His endorsement contract with Nike expired and was not renewed after the sportswear company decided to pull out of the competitive swimming market. Despite Lezak's Olympic successes, he says he does not expect to get any more sponsorships.^[11][12]

Personal bests

His personal bests (long-course) are:

• 50 m freestyle: 21.90
• 100 m freestyle: 47.58 (former American Record)
• 100 m freestyle relay split 46.06 (fastest relay split ever, although FINA does not recognize world records for relay splits, unless they were in the opening leg, because only the opening leg is done from a stationary start, whereas later swimmers can lean over in the process of diving as the preceding swimmer is coming in)

References

External links

• Jason Lezak as a guest on Jim Rome is Burning
• Jason Lezak Official Bio
• Jason Lezak at the United States Olympic Committee.
• Jason Lezak at the International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame (inducted 2006)

v • d • e 2000 USA Olympic Swimming Team Men's Team Pat Calhoun  •  Chad Carvin  •  Ian Crocker  •  Josh Davis  •  Tom Dolan  •  Nate Dusing  •  Anthony Ervin  •  Scott Goldblatt  •  Gary Hall, Jr.  •  Tommy Hannan  •  Klete Keller  •  Lenny Krayzelburg  •  Jason Lezak  •  Tom Malchow  •  Ed Moses  •  Aaron Peirsol  •  Michael Phelps  •  Jamie Rauch  •  Kyle Salyards  •  Chris Thompson  •  Scott Tucker  •  Erik Vendt  •  Neil Walker  •  Tom Wilkens Women's Team Amanda Adkins  •  Samantha Arsenault  •  Amanda Beard  •  B.J. Bedford  •  Lindsay Benko  •  Brooke Bennett  •  Kim Black  •  Maddy Crippen  •  Misty Hyman  •  Kristy Kowal  •  Diana Munz  •  Rada Owen  •  Erin Phenix  •  Megan Quann  •  Gabrielle Rose  •  Kaitlin Sandeno  •  Courtney Shealy  •  Staciana Stitts  •  Julia Stowers  •  Ashley Tappin  •  Cristina Teuscher  •  Jenny Thompson  •  Dara Torres  •  Amy Van Dyken Coaches Peter Banks  •  Jack Bauerle  •  David Marsh  •  Richard Quick (Women's Head Coach)  •  Eddie Reese  •  Dave Salo  •  Mark Schubert (Men's Head Coach)  •  Jon Urbanchek

v • d • e 2004 USA Olympic Swimming Team Men's Team Ian Crocker  •  Nate Dusing  •  Mark Gangloff  •  Scott Goldblatt  •  Gary Hall, Jr.  •  Brendan Hansen  •  Bryce Hunt  •  Larsen Jensen  •  Klete Keller  •  Dan Ketchum  •  Lenny Krayzelburg  •  Jason Lezak  •  Ryan Lochte  •  Tom Malchow  •  Aaron Peirsol  •  Michael Phelps  •  Scott Usher  •  Peter Vanderkaay  •  Erik Vendt  •  Neil Walker  •  Gabe Woodward Women's Team Amanda Beard  •  Lindsay Benko  •  Caroline Bruce  •  Kristen Caverly  •  Haley Cope  •  Maritza Correia  •  Natalie Coughlin  •  Margaret Hoelzer  •  Katie Hoff  •  Rhi Jeffrey  •  Kara Lynn Joyce  •  Kalyn Keller  •  Dana Kirk  •  Tara Kirk  •  Rachel Komisarz  •  Colleen Lanné  •  Diana Munz  •  Carly Piper  •  Kaitlin Sandeno  •  Jenny Thompson  •  Dana Vollmer  •  Amanda Weir Coaches Bob Bowman  •  Frank Busch  •  Teri McKeever  •  Richard Quick  •  Eddie Reese (Men's Head Coach)  •  Dave Salo  •  Mark Schubert (Women's Head Coach)  •  Jon Urbanchek

v • d • e 2008 USA Olympic Swimming Team Men's Team Nathan Adrian  •  Ricky Berens  •  Ian Crocker  •  Mark Gangloff  •  Matt Grevers  •  Brendan Hansen  •  Larsen Jensen  •  Cullen Jones  •  Klete Keller  •  Jason Lezak  •  Ryan Lochte  •  Aaron Peirsol  •  Michael Phelps  •  Eric Shanteau  •  Scott Spann  •  Gil Stovall  •  Peter Vanderkaay  •  Erik Vendt  •  Dave Walters  •  Mark Warkentin  •  Garrett Weber-Gale  •  Benjamin Wildman-Tobriner Women's Team Amanda Beard  •  Elizabeth Beisel  •  Elaine Breeden  •  Caroline Burckle  •  Natalie Coughlin  •  (Jessica Hardy)  •  Kathleen Hersey  •  Margaret Hoelzer  •  Katie Hoff  •  Megan Jendrick  •  Kara Lynn Joyce  •  Christine Magnuson  •  Christine Marshall  •  Lacey Nymeyer  •  Allison Schmitt  •  Emily Silver  •  Julia Smit  •  Rebecca Soni  •  Chloe Sutton  •  Dara Torres  •  Kim Vandenberg  •  Kate Ziegler Coaches  Jack Bauerle (Women's Head Coach)  •  Ray Benecki  •  Bob Bowman  •  Frank Busch  •  Sean Hutchison  •  Teri McKeever  •  Eddie Reese (Men's Head Coach)  •  Mark Schubert (National Team Head Coach)  •  Gregg Troy  •  Jon Urbanchek  •  Paul Yetter