Documentary, ‘The Greatest Race’, Examines Legendary Olympic 400 Freestyle Relay Anchored By Jason Lezak
In advance of this summer’s Olympic Games, Peacock, NBC’s streaming service, has produced a documentary on the epic 400-meter freestyle relay from the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing. Titled, “The Greatest Race,” the documentary examines the improbable comeback by the United States, fueled by the legendary anchor leg of Jason Lezak, to defeat France.
Peacock will release the film on June 10 and the documentary includes interviews with all participants. As a refresher, Team USA went into the final leg of the relay trailing France and its anchor, Alain Bernard, by a wide margin. But with every stroke taken by Lezak on his leg, the American narrowed his deficit and ultimately touched .08 ahead of the Frenchman. Lezak’s effort set off a wild celebration for the United States, which featured Michael Phelps, Garrett Weber-Gale and Cullen Jones on the first three legs.
By rallying the United States to victory, Lezak kept alive Phelps’ pursuit of eight gold medals. Lezak was timed in 46.06 for his leg and the United States’ world-record time of 3:08.24 remains on the books today. Lezak went on to earn bronze in the individual 100 freestyle later in the meet, an event that landed Bernard the Olympic title.
Here is the trailer for the documentary.