The Most Exciting Finish to an Olympic Swimming Event I Have Ever Seen

A couple of days ago I saw what I would consider one of the most exciting finishes I have ever seen in Olympic swimming. It was the men's 4X100 freestyle relay. You have probably seen a replay of the race or at least read about it.

There were several good teams in the race - France, Australia, and the United States. The French were heavily favored. They held the world record for the event.

In fact, one of the top French swimmers, Alain Bernard, had told the press that the French team would "smash" the Americans. Most journalists and other experts had predicted that the French would win.

As the Race Progressed, It Didn't Appear that the U.S. Team Had any Chance for Gold

Michael Phelps swam the first leg for the American team. The 100 meter freestyle is not one his top events because when he finished his two laps, he was behind.

The Americans gradually fell further and further behind. When Jason Lezak, who was the fourth and final swimmer (the anchor) on the relay team, hit the water, he was at least a full body length behind the French swimmer, Bernard.

To set the scene, Lezak is the oldest swimmer on the U.S. team. The anchor for the French team was Bernard who holds the world record for the 100 meter freestyle. He is also the one who did the "trash talking" for the French team earlier in the week.

The Fantastic Finish

After the first 50 meters, Lezak was over half a body length behind Bernard. I heard the announcer saying that there was no way he would catch the Frenchman, that maybe he could hold off the Australians and capture a silver medal for the team.

But he kept slowly gaining on Bernard. The announcer was saying that it appeared that the Americans would win the silver.

For those of you who have seen the race, you know how exciting the finish was. In his final stroke, he did it. Lezak touched the wall .08 second ahead of Bernard. The U.S. team had won the gold.

Apply the Lessons Learned from this Race to Life and Business

I think most of you know that I am an entrepreneur and in internet network marketing. I think there is so much we can learn from this race and apply to our lives and our businesses.

The first lesson is to not give up. Lezak admitted that, when he was so far behind, a brief thought came to his mind, "there's no way." But quickly that thought was gone. Then with tremendous guts, determination, and focus, he overcame the physical pain he was feeling and ended up swimming the fastest 100 meter freestyle in history.

Another lesson is to keep your focus on the process. Lezak swam within himself. He focused on maintaining the proper form with each stroke. He focused on the process.

Another lesson is to not dwell on negative chatter. The U.S. team didn't allow the statements by the French and the opinions of the press get them down. Lezak pushed the negative thought, "there's no way," out of him mind very quickly.

A final lesson (I'm sure that there are many more) is to work as a team. If any of the members of the American team had failed to do their best, the U.S. team would have to settle for a lesser medal or maybe none at all.

As of today, Michael Phelps has 7 gold medals. He has tied Mark Spitz for the most gold medals won at the Olympic Games for a specific year. He now has the opportunity to break that record in his eighth and final event.

Several years from now, when Phelps is asked what his most memorable event was from the 2008 Olympics, I am almost willing to bet that he will say it was the 4X100 relay. It wasn't his best race. But it was four guys pulling together, working their tails off, and doing their best to win the medal.

Certainly in network marketing, we can learn so much from this race - to not give up; to focus on the process; to not dwell on negative chatter; and to work as a team, not as individuals. I wish you the very best.

Scott Hubbard is dedicated to helping people find success in life and in business. He is now a full time entrepreneur and coach. He enjoys teaching corporate executives and other network marketers how to apply attraction marketing online and how to attract free qualified leads on the internet.

Scott is happy to give a free consultation for serious entrepreneurs. You can reach him toll-free at 877-878-4036 or by email at Scott.Hubbard3@gmail.com.

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