{"id":349763,"date":"2019-02-04T12:25:05","date_gmt":"2019-02-04T19:25:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/?p=349763"},"modified":"2019-06-17T08:54:10","modified_gmt":"2019-06-17T15:54:10","slug":"jason-lezak-to-be-inducted-into-the-international-swimming-hall-of-fame","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/jason-lezak-to-be-inducted-into-the-international-swimming-hall-of-fame\/","title":{"rendered":"Jason Lezak To Be Inducted Into The International Swimming Hall of Fame"},"content":{"rendered":"

Jason Lezak<\/strong> is an eight-time USA Olympic medalist (four gold, two silver and two bronze), two-time USA Olympic Team Captain, and a four-time Olympian (2000, 2004, 2008, 2012).\u00a0 He is best known for anchoring the 4x100m freestyle relay at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing where his come-from-behind epic swim was the fastest relay split of all-time. His relay performance secured a win for the United States and helped\u00a0Michael Phelps<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0win an unprecedented 8 gold medals.\u00a0The 2008 relay anchor swim was voted by Sports Illustrated<\/em> as the most memorable single performance by an American at the Beijing Games.<\/p>\n

Jason Lezak will be inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame as a member of the\u00a0Class of 2019 during the Honoree Induction ceremony in Fort Lauderdale, Florida,<\/a> May 18, 2019.<\/p>\n

Meet Jason Lezak in person at the\u00a0ISHOF Induction dinner.<\/span>\u00a0<\/a>\u00a0 Become an\u00a0ISHOF Legacy Member and attend the ISHOF Induction Dinner for FREE.<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

\"Jason

Photo Courtesy: Jason Lezak<\/p><\/div>\n

Lezak was a Southern California kid, growing up in Irvine, California as the son of Linda<\/strong> and David Lezak<\/strong>.\u00a0 He attended Irvine High School and continued to study at the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB).\u00a0 In addition to the UCSB Swimming Gauchos, Lezak represented Rose Bowl Aquatics and was a member of Novaquatics under the guidance of coach\u00a0Dave Salo<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n

Lezak was always a well-rounded athlete.\u00a0 He began swimming at age five.\u00a0 By age ten, he was participating in Junior Olympic swimming competitions and open water events. However, his interest in athletics spanned a variety of other sports such as basketball, baseball, soccer, and water polo \u2013 several of which he continued to play in high school.<\/p>\n

\"Jason

Photo Courtesy: Jason Lezak<\/p><\/div>\n

During his early teens, Lezak went through some ups and downs in the sport of swimming.\u00a0 It wasn’t until he quit basketball after his sophomore year of high school that he saw some big improvements in his swimming. He continued to improve throughout high school years earning All-America honors his senior year in swimming and water polo.<\/p>\n

Lezak received a scholarship to swim at UCSB under coach Gregg Wilson<\/strong> where he saw modest improvement during his first two years. However, during his junior year he turned it all around by placing 5th and 6th at NCAA’s in the 50 and 100 freestyle. After he finished his college eligibility in 1998, his star in swimming began to rise toward Olympic heights.<\/p>\n

In the summer of 1998 he won the 100m freestyle at the U.S. National Championships.\u00a0 Two years later, at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Lezak won his first Olympic gold medal as a member of the USA\u2019s 4\u00d7100m medley relay. He won a silver medal in the 4\u00d7100m freestyle relay at those same games and soon thereafter became the number one ranked swimming sprinter in the world.<\/p>\n

In 2004, Lezak appeared in Athens at the Olympic Games, after breaking the 100m freestyle American record during the USA Olympic Trials earlier in the year.\u00a0 Gold medal success once again came to Lezak as member of the 4 x 100 medley relay as he swam the anchor freestyle leg behind Aaron Peirsol<\/strong><\/a>, Brendan Hansen<\/strong><\/a>, and Ian Crocker<\/strong><\/a>.\u00a0 The relay team set a world record in that event by beating a powerful German team.<\/p>\n

\"Jason

(L to R) Aaron Piersol, Brendan Hansen, Ian Crocker, and Lezak Photo Courtesy: Jason Lezak<\/p><\/div>\n

Leading up to the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, Lezak began to train regularly without a coach – basically, unheard of in the sport of swimming.\u00a0 Lezak proved that he was one of very few elite swimmers with the discipline to train daily without a team or trainer at his side.\u00a0 Lezak told the media that he was capable of motivating himself. He firmly believed that this willpower was key to his confidence and competitive mentality, and that only he knew what was right for him at his age and for his specialty.<\/p>\n

At the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, Lezak was the oldest male on the U.S. swim team and tri-captain. He anchored the U.S. 4\u00d7100m freestyle relay team that won the gold medal and set a new world record. His performance on that relay was possibly the greatest performance of the Games…<\/p>\n

In the final 25 meters, Lezak overtook French team anchor and ISHOF Honor Swimmer, Alain Bernard <\/a>to win gold despite Bernard having nearly a full body length’s advantage when he started his leg, and half a body length with 25 meters from the end. Lezak’s split of 46.06 was the fastest 100m freestyle split in history by nearly six-tenths of a second. The final time of the U.S. team was 3:08:24, 3.99 seconds faster than the previous world record.\u00a0 The French team finished second at 3:08.32, eight one-hundredths (0.08) of a second behind. It was the closest finish in the event’s history. Lezak\u2019s anchor swim will be shown for years, even decades to come on sports shows and highlights as one of the greatest performances of all time.\u00a0 Lezak’s dominating leg of the relay won the gold and secured Michael Phelps’ record-setting eighth gold medal – which bettered Mark Spitz<\/a>\u2019s 1972 seven gold medal performance.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The 4x100m freestyle relay finish was recognized as \u201cBest Moment\u201d at the ESPYs the following year.<\/p>\n

\"Jason

Photo Courtesy: Jason Lezak<\/p><\/div>\n

While the relay swims are something Lezak will never forget, his favorite memory from Beijing \u2013 and perhaps in the entirety of his career \u2013 was the 100m free individual race. He touched in a tie with Brazilian sprinter, Cesar Cielo<\/strong><\/a>, behind the very same Frenchman who he bested in the relay, Alain Bernard, and Eamon Sullivan<\/strong><\/a>. While this resulted in a bronze for both athletes, Lezak felt that, after expending so much energy in the relay, the race was a moment of truth for him, especially at his age (32 \u2013 the oldest male on the United States\u2019 team).<\/p>\n

\"Jason

Lezak with wife Danielle Photo Courtesy: Jason Lezak<\/p><\/div>\n

Lezak qualified for his fourth Olympics at the 2012 United States Olympic Trials in Omaha, Nebraska as a member of the U.S. 4\u00d7100m freestyle relay team, where he helped earn a silver medal for the team’s second-place finish in the Olympic finals. He became the first male swimmer in Olympic history to win four medals in the same event, the 4\u00d7100m freestyle relay.<\/p>\n

In 2009, Jason Lezak represented the U.S.A. in Israel at the Maccabiah games. It was a tough decision for Lezak to make as he would have to pass on the World Championships.\u00a0 But to Lezak, swimming at the Maccabiah games was more than just another swim competition. During this trip, he got the opportunity to see many of the sites he learned about as a child, as well as compete against the best Jewish athletes around the world. Winning four gold medals was only part of the experience. While attending the Maccabiah Games, Lezak was inducted into the International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame, was selected to light the flame at the opening ceremonies, and even met with the Israeli President.<\/p>\n

Lezak returned to the Maccabiah Games in 2017 and swam in a special 4x50m relay race between American and Israeli All-Star teams.\u00a0 Lezak was joined by Olympic gold medalists, Anthony Ervin<\/strong><\/a> (three golds), Lenny Krayzelburg<\/strong><\/a> (four golds) and Masters swimmer, Alex Blavatnik<\/strong>.\u00a0 The relay swam a time of 1:48.23 beating the Israeli All-Star team, who came in at 1:55.25<\/p>\n

\"Jason

Photo Courtesy: Jason Lezak<\/p><\/div>\n

As a proud husband and father, highly respected athlete and Olympic gold medalist, Jason has become an inspiration to a wide variety of audiences. He successfully balances his family life with motivating others and sharing his stories.<\/p>\n

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About The International Swimming Hall of Fame\u00a0Induction Weekend<\/a><\/h2>\n
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\"International<\/p>\n

Photo Courtesy: ISHOF<\/p>\n

The\u00a0International Swimming Hall of Fame (ISHOF) Induction Ceremony is shaping up to be a star-studded weekend with multiple events spread out over three days in beautiful Fort Lauderdale, Florida.\u00a0 Make your plans now to attend the weekend of May 17-19, 2019!\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>ISHOF Members can purchase the Weekend Package and Save!<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

This year\u2019s International Swimming Hall of Fame honorees include\u00a0<\/span>Swimmers:\u00a0<\/span>Jason Lezak <\/b>(USA), <\/span>Otylia Jedrzejczak <\/b><\/a>(POL),<\/span> Stephanie Rice<\/b><\/a> (AUS), <\/span>Britta Steffen<\/b><\/a>\u00a0(GER);\u00a0Diver:<\/span> Li Ting <\/b><\/a>(CHN); Water Polo Player:\u00a0<\/span>Alessandro Campagna <\/b><\/a>(ITA); Coach:\u00a0<\/span>Boris Popov<\/a>\u00a0<\/b>(RUS)<\/span>;\u00a0\u00a0<\/b>Synchronized Swimmer:<\/span>\u00a0Olga Sedakova <\/a><\/b>(RUS);\u00a0<\/span>Open Water Swimmer<\/span>: Marcy MacDonald<\/b><\/a> (USA); Contributor:\u00a0<\/span>Dr. Ferenc Salamon<\/b><\/a> (HUN); and Pioneer<\/span>:Alfred Nakache<\/a><\/b>* (FRA). \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

ISHOF will also present the 2019 Gold Medallion Award to<\/span> Dr. Joseph B. MacInnis<\/a>.<\/b><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

2019 Paragon Award<\/a> and ISHOF Specialty Award<\/a> Recipients<\/h2>\n