Los Angeles Sports Council - L.A.'s Greatest Moments

OLYMPIC SPORTS TOP MOMENTS 2008 Nominations Submitted by Sports Historian Richard B. Perelman
	WINNING MOMENT Lezak's Comeback leads USA to Gold In one of the signature moments of the Beijing Games, Irvine's Jason Lezak came from behind on the anchor leg of the men's 4 x 100 meter freestyle relay, leading the U.S. team to a gold medal and world record. Trailing France’s Alain Bernard by half a body length with 25 meters to go, Lezak’s dramatic surge allowed him to out-touch the Frenchman by a fingertip at the finish, thereby preserving the second of Michael Phelps’ eight gold medals, at the Water Cube (August 11).
	Walsh and May-Treanor Repeat as Gold Medallists Women's beach volleyball stars Kerri Walsh and Misty May-Treanor swept to their second consecutive Olympic gold medal, defeating China’s Tian Jia and Wang Jie in the final, 21-18, 21-18. The victory at Chaoyang Park, their 108th in a row, made them the only beach volleyball team ever to win back-to-back Olympic gold medals (August 21).
	Relay Teammates Felix and Henderson Win Gold On the final night of track and field competition Southern Californians Allyson Felix (a USC grad) and Monique Henderson (a UCLA grad) teamed to help the U.S. win the 4 x 400 meter relay, at the Bird’s Nest. Their victory, combined with the U.S. men winning relay gold at the same distance, put Team USA atop the track and field table with 7 gold medals (August 23).