How it unfolded
Michael Phelps's bid for eight gold medals nearly ended in his second event. France put 100m freestyle world-record holder Alain Bernard on the anchor leg and had promised before the Games to smash the Americans. Phelps opened in 47.51 and Garrett Weber-Gale and Cullen Jones followed, but by the final turn, 33-year-old anchor Jason Lezak trailed Bernard by more than half a second. Lezak chose to draft in Bernard's wake, closed the gap over the final 25 metres, and got his hand to the wall first. The United States finished in 3:08.24, France in 3:08.32, a margin of 0.08 seconds. Lezak's split of 46.06 was the fastest relay leg ever swum. In that final, the top five teams all swam faster than the previous world record. Phelps roared toward the stands, then went on to win all six of his remaining events for eight gold medals at a single Games.
Why it still matters
Phelps's eight golds rest on that 0.08 seconds. Had Lezak lost, both Beijing's story and the benchmark for every multi-gold debate since would look different. Drafting off a rival's wake on the anchor leg and the importance of exchange timing became a training staple for every national team after this race, and Lezak's 46.06 split is still cited as the yardstick for judging a relay anchor.