{"id":438033,"date":"2020-06-30T15:33:51","date_gmt":"2020-06-30T22:33:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/?p=438033"},"modified":"2020-09-16T14:41:29","modified_gmt":"2020-09-16T21:41:29","slug":"jason-lezak-why-i-am-one-in-a-thousand","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/jason-lezak-why-i-am-one-in-a-thousand\/","title":{"rendered":"Jason Lezak: Why I Am One In A Thousand"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>Jason Lezak<\/strong><strong>,<\/strong> ISHOF Honoree and called the man who made the greatest relay swim of all time, is special.\u00a0 He is One in a Thousand!<\/p>\n<blockquote><p><strong>When asked why he wanted to join the International Swimming Hall of Fame\u2019s One in A Thousand Club, Lezak said, \u201cI made my first trip to the Hall of Fame when I was 18.\u00a0 Although I already had Olympic dreams, this added inspiration to want to achieve like so many of the greats from our past.\u00a0 No matter what sport I did, I always appreciated the history that created the opportunities for me to succeed.\u00a0 <\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>It was an honor to be inducted last year and to now have a display for all the visitors to see.\u00a0 It\u2019s very humbling to be a small part of swimming history.\u201d<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Join the One in a Thousand Club by helping ISHOF on a monthly or one-time basis.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"430318\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/international-swimming-hall-of-fame-asks-if-you-are-one-in-a-thousand\/one-in-thousand\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/ONE-IN-THOUSAND.png\" data-orig-size=\"197,200\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"ONE IN THOUSAND\" data-image-description=\"&lt;p&gt;ONE IN THOUSAND&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/ONE-IN-THOUSAND.png\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/ONE-IN-THOUSAND.png\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-430318\" src=\"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/ONE-IN-THOUSAND.png\" alt=\"ONE IN THOUSAND\" width=\"197\" height=\"200\" \/><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>\n<h3><a href=\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/product\/10-per-month-one-in-a-thousand-member\/\">$10 Monthly Commitment<\/a><\/h3>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<h3><a href=\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/product\/25-per-month-one-in-a-thousand-member-copy\/\">$25 Monthly Commitment<\/a><\/h3>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<h3><a href=\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/product\/50-per-month-one-in-a-thousand-member\/\">$50 Monthly Commitment<\/a><\/h3>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<h3><a href=\"https:\/\/shop.swimmingworld.com\/collections\/one-in-a-thousand-club\">Make a One-Time Commitment<\/a><\/h3>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>For larger corporate sponsorships and estate-planning donations, please contact us at <a href=\"mailto:customerservice@ishof.org\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">customerservice@ishof.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h1>About Jason Lezak<\/h1>\n<p>From the beginning, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/hall-of-fame\/bio\/swimmer\/jason-lezak\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Jason Lezak<\/a> showed great promise in the pool, but he constantly butted heads with his coach, <strong>Dave Salo<\/strong>, over his commitment to training. Recruited to swim at UC Santa Barbara, Jason\u2019s problems with authority continued until coach <strong>Gregg Wilson<\/strong> finally dismissed him from the team. This was the wake-up call he needed. He loved to swim and compete, and after promising to improve his training habits, Jason rejoined the team. In his Senior year, Lezak was named Big West Conference Swimmer of the Year.<\/p>\n<p>At the 2000 Olympic Trials, Jason finished fourth in the 100m freestyle. While he failed to qualify individually, his result was good enough to make the 4x100m freestyle relay team, an event Team USA had never lost in the Olympic Games.\u00a0 In Sydney, the Australians pulled off the unexpected upset in their home pool and the USA settled for the silver.<\/p>\n<p>Over the next four years, Jason was the top sprinter in the world, and at the 2004 U.S. Olympic Trials in Long Beach, he qualified for the Olympic Games in both the 50m and 100m freestyle.<\/p>\n<p>In Athens, the US freestyle relay team was trying to win back the title it had lost in Sydney four years earlier. Instead, they finished third behind South Africa and the Netherlands. The next day Jason did not swim as well as expected and failed to reach the semi-finals. Individually Jason finished fifth in the 50 meter freestyle. Success came when he swam the freestyle leg behind <strong>Aaron Peirsol<\/strong>, <strong>Brendan Hansen<\/strong>, and I<strong>an Crocker<\/strong> to win the medley relay gold medal, in world record time.<\/p>\n<p>In 2006, Dave Salo left Irvine to take the coaching job at USC, leaving Jason without a coach. He began coaching himself and proved by qualifying for his third Olympic Games that he had the discipline to train daily without a team or trainer at his side.<\/p>\n<p>When he finished second in the 100m freestyle at the Olympic Trials in Omaha, he was 32 years old, the oldest male swimmer to make the team and was selected by his teammates as a captain.<\/p>\n<p>At the 2008 Games in Beijing, his first event was the 4x100m freestyle relay. The USA hadn\u2019t won this race since 1996 and this time the USA was not the favorite. That distinction belonged to the team from France, with 100m world record holder, <strong>Alain Bernard<\/strong> as its anchorman. Swimming last, and starting nearly a fully body length behind, Jason chased down Bernard in the final 20 yards to win the gold medal by eight-one-hundredths of a second. Jason\u2019s split time of 46.06, is still the fastest 100m split in history.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_135340\" style=\"width: 980px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-135340\" data-attachment-id=\"135340\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/is-the-future-of-usa-swimming-in-trouble\/2008-400-free-relay\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/2008-400-free-relay.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"970,670\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;Wally Skalij&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;BEIJING, CHINA AUGUST 11TH, 2008--USA&#039; Garrett Weber-Gale, left, and Michael Phelps celebrate with Jason Lezak, in the pool, the gold medal in the 4x100 Freestyle Relay at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"2008-400-free-relay\" data-image-description=\"&lt;p&gt;11\/13\/2016&lt;br \/&gt;\nBEIJING, CHINA AUGUST 11TH, 2008&#8211;USA&#8217; Garrett Weber-Gale, left, and Michael Phelps celebrate with Jason Lezak, in the pool, the gold medal in the 4&#215;100 Freestyle Relay at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;The bodysuit party at Beijing 2008 &#8211; Photo Courtesy: Wally Skalij&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/2008-400-free-relay-700x500.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/2008-400-free-relay.jpg\" class=\"size-full wp-image-135340\" src=\"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/2008-400-free-relay.jpg\" alt=\"BEIJING, CHINA AUGUST 11TH, 2008--USA' Garrett Weber-Gale, left, and Michael Phelps celebrate with Jason Lezak, in the pool, the gold medal in the 4x100 Freestyle Relay at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.\" width=\"970\" height=\"670\" srcset=\"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/2008-400-free-relay.jpg 970w, https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/2008-400-free-relay-533x368.jpg 533w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 970px) 100vw, 970px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-135340\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The bodysuit party at Beijing 2008 &#8211; Photo Courtesy: Wally Skalij<\/p><\/div>\n<p>The next day, Jason won bronze in the 100m freestyle for the first individual Olympic medal of his career. On the final day of competition, he anchored the USA\u2019s world record setting medley relay that gave Michael Phelps his historic eighth gold medal.<\/p>\n<p>Continuing to swim on his own after Beijing, Jason passed up the opportunity to compete in the World Championships to participate in the Maccabiah Games in Israel, where he won four gold medals and celebrated his heritage as a Jewish athlete.<\/p>\n<p>In 2012, at the age of 36, Jason qualified for his fourth Olympic team by finishing sixth at the Olympic Trials in the 100 free. In London, he swam in the preliminaries and helped earn a spot in the final for the silver medal winning U.S. team. In doing so, he became the first male swimmer in Olympic history to win four medals in the same event, in the 4\u00d7100m freestyle relay, in four consecutive Olympic Games.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_349773\" style=\"width: 510px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-349773\" data-attachment-id=\"349773\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/jason-lezak-to-be-inducted-into-the-international-swimming-hall-of-fame\/jason-lezak0027_resized\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/Jason-Lezak0027_resized.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"500,333\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;2.8&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;Canon EOS 5D Mark III&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1474761550&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;100&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;800&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.005&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Jason Lezak motivational speaker\" data-image-description=\"&lt;p&gt;Jason Lezak ISHOF honoree&lt;br \/&gt;\nFeb 2019&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Photo Courtesy: Jason Lezak&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/Jason-Lezak0027_resized.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/Jason-Lezak0027_resized.jpg\" class=\"size-full wp-image-349773\" src=\"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/Jason-Lezak0027_resized.jpg\" alt=\"Jason Lezak\" width=\"500\" height=\"333\" srcset=\"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/Jason-Lezak0027_resized.jpg 500w, https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/Jason-Lezak0027_resized-280x186.jpg 280w, https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/Jason-Lezak0027_resized-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/Jason-Lezak0027_resized-450x300.jpg 450w, https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/Jason-Lezak0027_resized-150x100.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-349773\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Photo Courtesy: Jason Lezak<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Jason ended his Olympic career with a total of eight medals, four gold, two silver and two bronze.\u00a0 Today Jason is a proud husband and father of three and a popular motivational speaker who is balancing his family life with business opportunities.<\/p>\n<p>Jason Lezak is \u201cOne in a Thousand. <strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/product-category\/ishof-membership\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft\" src=\"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/ONE-IN-THOUSAND.png\" alt=\"ONE IN THOUSAND\" width=\"197\" height=\"200\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>The International Swimming Hall of Fame wants to know if you are one in a thousand?\u00a0 We think you are!\u00a0 Show how special you are and become a member of the International Swimming Hall of Fame\u2019s \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/product-category\/ishof-membership\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">One In A Thousand\u201d<\/a> Club.\u00a0 Help keep the International Swimming Hall of Fame moving forward toward a new vision and museum by joining now!<u><\/u><u><\/u><\/p>\n<p>During these unprecedented times, the ISHOF Board is calling on every member in the aquatic community to make a small monthly commitment of support to show how special you are and how special the International Swimming Hall of Fame is to everyone.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>&#8220;<em>Our goal is simple. If we get 1,000 people to simply commit $10, $25 or $50 per month, we will generate enough revenue to go beyond this Covid-19 Pandemic Crisis.<\/em>&#8221; &#8211; <strong>Bill Kent<\/strong> &#8211; <strong>Chairman of the ISHOF Board<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>&#8220;<em>Those that believe in our vision, mission, and goals can join us in taking ISHOF into the future and be a part of aquatic history<\/em>.\u201d \u00a0&#8211; <strong>Brent Rutemiller &#8211; CEO and President of ISHOF<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Since 1965, ISHOF has been the global focal point for recording and sharing the history of aquatics, promoting swimming as an essential life-skill, and developing educational programs and events related to water sports. ISHOF\u2019s vision for the future is to build a new museum and expand its reach by offering its museum artifacts digitally through a redesigned website.<\/p>\n<p>The ISHOF Board of Directors is calling on all members of the aquatics community to make a small monthly commitment to show their dedication to aquatics and how special the International Swimming Hall of Fame is to everyone.<\/p>\n<p><u>About ISHOF<\/u>\u00a0 \u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ishof.org\/virtual-tour-exhibits.html\">Take a Virtual Tour<\/a><\/p>\n<p>The International Swimming Hall of Fame (ISHOF) museum opened its doors to the public in December of 1968 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. That same year, the F\u00e9d\u00e9ration Internationale de Natation (FINA) &#8211; the governing body for Olympic aquatic sports \u2013 designated the ISHOF museum as the &#8220;Official Repository for Aquatic History&#8221;.\u00a0\u00a0 In 2018, Sports Publications Inc, publisher of <em>Swimming World Magazine<\/em> and its multi-media platforms, merged with ISHOF to expand the museum\u2019s reach and impact.\u00a0 Today, ISHOF&#8217;s vision is to be the global focal point for recording and sharing the history of aquatics, promoting swimming as an essential life-skill, and developing educational programs and events related to water sports.\u00a0 Show your support for the sport of swimming by becoming a\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ishof.org\/membership.html\">member of ISHOF.<\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong><u>ISHOF Vision Statement<\/u><\/strong><br \/>\nTo be the global focal point for recording and sharing the history of aquatics, promoting swimming as an essential life-skill, and developing educational programs and events related to water sports.<\/p>\n<p><strong><u>ISHOF Mission Statement<\/u><\/strong><br \/>\nTo collaborate with aquatic organizations worldwide to preserve, educate and celebrate history, showcase events, share cultures, and increase participation in aquatic sports.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_430288\" style=\"width: 710px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-430288\" data-attachment-id=\"430288\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/international-swimming-hall-of-fame-asks-if-you-are-one-in-a-thousand\/ishof-building-aquatic-complex-rendition-march-2020-small\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/ishof-building-aquatic-complex-rendition-march-2020-small.png\" data-orig-size=\"700,373\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"ishof-building-aquatic-complex-rendition-march-2020-small\" data-image-description=\"&lt;p&gt;ishof-building-aquatic-complex-rendition-march-2020-small&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/ishof-building-aquatic-complex-rendition-march-2020-small.png\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/ishof-building-aquatic-complex-rendition-march-2020-small.png\" class=\"wp-image-430288 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/ishof-building-aquatic-complex-rendition-march-2020-small.png\" alt=\"ishof-building-aquatic-complex-rendition-march-2020-small\" width=\"700\" height=\"373\" srcset=\"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/ishof-building-aquatic-complex-rendition-march-2020-small.png 700w, https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/ishof-building-aquatic-complex-rendition-march-2020-small-280x149.png 280w, https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/ishof-building-aquatic-complex-rendition-march-2020-small-300x160.png 300w, https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/ishof-building-aquatic-complex-rendition-march-2020-small-450x240.png 450w, https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/ishof-building-aquatic-complex-rendition-march-2020-small-150x80.png 150w, https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/ishof-building-aquatic-complex-rendition-march-2020-small-500x266.png 500w, https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/ishof-building-aquatic-complex-rendition-march-2020-small-533x284.png 533w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-430288\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Architectural rendition of Hall of Fame Aquatic Center that is currently under renovation.<\/p><\/div>\n<p>The International Swimming Hall of Fame, Inc. is registered as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, incorporated in the State of Florida. Contributions to ISHOF are tax deductible to the fullest extent of the law. ISHOF\u2019s tax identification number is 59-1087179. A COPY OF THE OFFICIAL REGISTRATION AND FINANCIAL INFORMATION MAY BE OBTAINED FROM THE DIVISION OF CONSUMER SERVICES BY CALLING TOLL-FREE (800-435-7352) WITHIN THE STATE OR FROM THE WEBSITE,\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.800helpfla.com\/\">www.800helpfla.com.<\/a>\u00a0REGISTRATION DOES NOT IMPLY ENDORSEMENT, APPROVAL, OR RECOMMENDATION BY THE STATE. You can find out more about us on\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/guidestar.org\/\">guidestar.org<\/a>\u00a0under International Swimming Hall of Fame, Inc.<\/p>\n<p>For more information please contact:<br \/>\nBrandi West, Marketing Director<br \/>\n<a href=\"mailto:brandiw@swimmingworld.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">brandiw@swimmingworld.com<\/a><br \/>\n954-462-6536<\/p>\n<div class=\"mceTemp\"><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Jason Lezak, ISHOF Honoree and called the man who made the greatest relay swim of all time, is special.\u00a0 He is One in a Thousand! When asked why he wanted<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5713,"featured_media":349780,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"dois","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[3,122077,66113],"tags":[9949,801,123240],"class_list":["post-438033","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured","category-americas","category-ishof","tag-international-swimming-hall-of-fame","tag-jason-lezak","tag-one-in-a-thousand"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v24.3 (Yoast SEO v24.3) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\r\n<title>Jason Lezak: Why I Am One In A Thousand - Swimming World<\/title>\r\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Jason Lezak, ISHOF Honoree and called the man who made the greatest relay swim of all time is special. He is ISHOF&#039;s One in a Thousand!\" \/>\r\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\r\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/jason-lezak-why-i-am-one-in-a-thousand\/\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Jason Lezak: Why I Am One In A Thousand\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Jason Lezak, ISHOF Honoree and called the man who made the greatest relay swim of all time is special. He is ISHOF&#039;s One in a Thousand!\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/jason-lezak-why-i-am-one-in-a-thousand\/\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Swimming World\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/SwimmingWorld\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2020-06-30T22:33:51+00:00\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2020-09-16T21:41:29+00:00\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/Jason-Lezak0023_artice-cover_2.jpg\" \/>\r\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1000\" \/>\r\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"720\" \/>\r\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\r\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Meg Keller-Marvin\" \/>\r\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\r\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@swimmingworld\" \/>\r\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@swimmingworld\" \/>\r\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Meg Keller-Marvin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"7 minutes\" \/>\r\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/jason-lezak-why-i-am-one-in-a-thousand\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/jason-lezak-why-i-am-one-in-a-thousand\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Meg Keller-Marvin\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/79906e1f0787e78e93cb5ba07fe52205\"},\"headline\":\"Jason Lezak: Why I Am One In A Thousand\",\"datePublished\":\"2020-06-30T22:33:51+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2020-09-16T21:41:29+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/jason-lezak-why-i-am-one-in-a-thousand\/\"},\"wordCount\":1454,\"commentCount\":1,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/jason-lezak-why-i-am-one-in-a-thousand\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/Jason-Lezak0023_artice-cover_2.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"International Swimming Hall of Fame\",\"Jason Lezak\",\"One In A Thousand\"],\"articleSection\":[\"-Home Slider\",\"Americas\",\"ISHOF\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/jason-lezak-why-i-am-one-in-a-thousand\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/jason-lezak-why-i-am-one-in-a-thousand\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/jason-lezak-why-i-am-one-in-a-thousand\/\",\"name\":\"Jason Lezak: Why I Am One In A Thousand - Swimming World\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/jason-lezak-why-i-am-one-in-a-thousand\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/jason-lezak-why-i-am-one-in-a-thousand\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/Jason-Lezak0023_artice-cover_2.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2020-06-30T22:33:51+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2020-09-16T21:41:29+00:00\",\"description\":\"Jason Lezak, ISHOF Honoree and called the man who made the greatest relay swim of all time is special. He is ISHOF's One in a Thousand!\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/jason-lezak-why-i-am-one-in-a-thousand\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/jason-lezak-why-i-am-one-in-a-thousand\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/jason-lezak-why-i-am-one-in-a-thousand\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/Jason-Lezak0023_artice-cover_2.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/Jason-Lezak0023_artice-cover_2.jpg\",\"width\":1000,\"height\":720,\"caption\":\"Photo Courtesy: Jason Lezak\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/jason-lezak-why-i-am-one-in-a-thousand\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Jason Lezak: Why I Am One In A Thousand\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/\",\"name\":\"Swimming World\",\"description\":\"The Global Leader in Aquatic News\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Swimming World\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/SWorld_BLKBKG-1.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/SWorld_BLKBKG-1.jpg\",\"width\":1799,\"height\":900,\"caption\":\"Swimming World\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/SwimmingWorld\",\"https:\/\/x.com\/swimmingworld\",\"https:\/\/instagram.com\/swimmingworldmag\/\",\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/user\/SwimmingWorldSPI\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/79906e1f0787e78e93cb5ba07fe52205\",\"name\":\"Meg Keller-Marvin\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/4d5e2609d36ee8584d88c58d62044f6d?s=96&d=blank&r=pg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/4d5e2609d36ee8584d88c58d62044f6d?s=96&d=blank&r=pg\",\"caption\":\"Meg Keller-Marvin\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/author\/ishofmeg\/\"}]}<\/script>\r\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Jason Lezak: Why I Am One In A Thousand - Swimming World","description":"Jason Lezak, ISHOF Honoree and called the man who made the greatest relay swim of all time is special. He is ISHOF's One in a Thousand!","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/jason-lezak-why-i-am-one-in-a-thousand\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Jason Lezak: Why I Am One In A Thousand","og_description":"Jason Lezak, ISHOF Honoree and called the man who made the greatest relay swim of all time is special. He is ISHOF's One in a Thousand!","og_url":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/jason-lezak-why-i-am-one-in-a-thousand\/","og_site_name":"Swimming World","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/SwimmingWorld","article_published_time":"2020-06-30T22:33:51+00:00","article_modified_time":"2020-09-16T21:41:29+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1000,"height":720,"url":"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/Jason-Lezak0023_artice-cover_2.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Meg Keller-Marvin","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@swimmingworld","twitter_site":"@swimmingworld","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Meg Keller-Marvin","Est. reading time":"7 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/jason-lezak-why-i-am-one-in-a-thousand\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/jason-lezak-why-i-am-one-in-a-thousand\/"},"author":{"name":"Meg Keller-Marvin","@id":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/79906e1f0787e78e93cb5ba07fe52205"},"headline":"Jason Lezak: Why I Am One In A Thousand","datePublished":"2020-06-30T22:33:51+00:00","dateModified":"2020-09-16T21:41:29+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/jason-lezak-why-i-am-one-in-a-thousand\/"},"wordCount":1454,"commentCount":1,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/jason-lezak-why-i-am-one-in-a-thousand\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/Jason-Lezak0023_artice-cover_2.jpg","keywords":["International Swimming Hall of Fame","Jason Lezak","One In A Thousand"],"articleSection":["-Home Slider","Americas","ISHOF"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/jason-lezak-why-i-am-one-in-a-thousand\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/jason-lezak-why-i-am-one-in-a-thousand\/","url":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/jason-lezak-why-i-am-one-in-a-thousand\/","name":"Jason Lezak: Why I Am One In A Thousand - Swimming World","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/jason-lezak-why-i-am-one-in-a-thousand\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/jason-lezak-why-i-am-one-in-a-thousand\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/Jason-Lezak0023_artice-cover_2.jpg","datePublished":"2020-06-30T22:33:51+00:00","dateModified":"2020-09-16T21:41:29+00:00","description":"Jason Lezak, ISHOF Honoree and called the man who made the greatest relay swim of all time is special. He is ISHOF's One in a Thousand!","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/jason-lezak-why-i-am-one-in-a-thousand\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/jason-lezak-why-i-am-one-in-a-thousand\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/jason-lezak-why-i-am-one-in-a-thousand\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/Jason-Lezak0023_artice-cover_2.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/Jason-Lezak0023_artice-cover_2.jpg","width":1000,"height":720,"caption":"Photo Courtesy: Jason Lezak"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/jason-lezak-why-i-am-one-in-a-thousand\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Jason Lezak: Why I Am One In A Thousand"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/","name":"Swimming World","description":"The Global Leader in Aquatic News","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/#organization","name":"Swimming World","url":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/SWorld_BLKBKG-1.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/SWorld_BLKBKG-1.jpg","width":1799,"height":900,"caption":"Swimming World"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/SwimmingWorld","https:\/\/x.com\/swimmingworld","https:\/\/instagram.com\/swimmingworldmag\/","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/user\/SwimmingWorldSPI"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/79906e1f0787e78e93cb5ba07fe52205","name":"Meg Keller-Marvin","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/4d5e2609d36ee8584d88c58d62044f6d?s=96&d=blank&r=pg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/4d5e2609d36ee8584d88c58d62044f6d?s=96&d=blank&r=pg","caption":"Meg Keller-Marvin"},"url":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/author\/ishofmeg\/"}]}},"cc_featured_image_caption":{"caption_text":"","source_text":"","source_url":""},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/Jason-Lezak0023_artice-cover_2.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p56Jja-1PX3","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/438033","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5713"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=438033"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/438033\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/349780"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=438033"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=438033"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=438033"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}