Welcome to our Focus on the Olympics articles that introduces you to our Olympic athletes and hopefuls that will be competing in Beijing this summer. Jason Lezak is a two-time Olympic medalist who has a record for breaking records. 
Meet Jason Lezak
Jason began swimming at age five with the Irvine Novaquatics. When he was 10, he had to make a tough decision between the finals of a run, hit, and throw competition at Angel Stadium for baseball and the Junior Olympics for swimming. Swimming turned out to be his choice and he went on to win a couple events at the competition.
He continued to improve all through high school, becoming an All-American his senior year and receiving a scholarship to University of California Santa Barbara. During his junior year, he placed fifth and sixth at the NCAA Championships in the 50m and 100m freestyle. After he finished his eligibility in 1998, he went on to win his first national title and became a professional athlete. In April 2004, Jason married Danielle DeAlva, Olympian and Pan American Games medalist for Mexico.
Why Root for Him?
At the 2004 U.S. Olympic Trials, Jason broke the American record in the 100-meter freestyle (48.17) in the semifinals. He eventually won the 100-meter and also qualified for the Olympic Games in the 50-meter freestyle (22.05). Jason swam in heat 9 at the Games in the 100-meter freestyle event and came in a disappointing fifth (49.87). He failed to qualify for the semifinals as a result. Jason also won a gold medal in the 400m medley relay and silver in the 400 Free Relay at the 2000 Olympic Games.
Since the 2004 Olympic Games, Jason’s success has shown that his performance at the next Games will likely not disappoint. At the 2007 Speedo Clovis Invitational in July, Jason turned in a 22.48 readout in the men’s 50m free to earn the meet record that was set by Gabriel Woodward in 2006. He also scared his own meet record of 49.74 with a winning effort of 49.90 at the 2007 TYR swimwear and equipment Meet of Champions in June. In addition to his summer feats, Jason also won the 100m free at the 2007 Speedo Grand Challenge in May.
Performance Record
- World record holder – 400m free relay, 400m medley relay, 400m medley relay short course
- Holds the American records in the 100m free, 400m free relay, 400m medley relay, 400m free relay short course and 400m medley relay short course
- 2004 Olympic Games gold medalist – 400m medley relay and bronze in the 400m free relay
The U.S. Swim team trials take place from June 29th to July 6th in Omaha, Nebraska.