So many memorable moments in Beijing

Jason Lezak
Don’t ever forget Lezak, the man who swam the fastest 100 meters ever to barely beat Frenchman Alain Bernard and win the men’s 4x100-meter relay. Without Lezak’s heroic final relay leg, Michael Phelps does not win eight gold medals, does not surpass Mark Spitz, does not make history. Phelps gets the glory, but Lezak is the true hero of that race.

Dropping the baton
The worst performance ever by the American sprint team cannot be forgotten. Jamaicans won both the 100 and 200 meters, men’s and women’s, and dominated the races. To add insult to injury, both American 4x100-meter relay teams fumbled baton passes during preliminary races and didn’t even advance to the final. This track and field meet really was unforgettable — unforgettably embarrassing.

Golden Goal
The American women also had something to prove in soccer, and Carli Lloyd sent favored Brazil crashing to defeat in extra time with a hard left-footer from the top of the box. Another sweet bit of redemption — goalie Hope Solo. A year ago, she was benched during the World Cup and the United States got blown out by this same Brazilian team. In Beijing, it was Solo who saved the win by rising above a mob of players in the goal mouth on a corner kick in the last minute of the game. They all wanted the ball, but Solo got to it with her fist, banging it out of harm’s way.

Nastia Liukin
The U.S. Women’s Gymnastics Team came to Beijing primed for gold and talking smack. It was China who went home with the shiniest hardware, beating an American team that was wracked by injuries and mistakes. Just the same, Liukin took one individual gold and four additional medals — a record haul for a U.S. female gymnast.

En Garde
Fencing hasn’t been a sport that Americans have been terribly good in. But the women’s saber swept the medals with Mariel Zagunis, on leave from the University of Notre Dame, taking the gold. It was the only fencing gold, but American fencers took six medals in all and established the United States as a nation to contend with.

MORE FROM BEIJING OLYMPICS NEWS

Beijing Olympics News Section Front

China’s gold medalists to receive $51,000 each China ends 'truly exceptional games' Castro defends athlete who kicked judge in face Beijing prepares for Olympic venues’ future China deports 10 activists after ceremony After victory, China's sports system at crossroads IOC president says Olympics opened up China New China? Bird's Nest replaces Mao on yuan Celizic: Phelps, Bolt will go down as Beijing's main men IOC: No proof China cheated in gymnastics Beijing Olympics News Section Front   Add Beijing Olympics News headlines to your news reader: