By Israel Gutierrez | Miami Herald

BEIJING - If Michael Phelps goes on to win a record eight golds in these Olympic Games, he will owe Jason Lezak a world of gratitude.

In the most dramatic moment yet in the National Aquatics Center, and arguably the most impressive swim in U.S. team history, Lezak made up more than a half body-length deficit on France's Alain Bernard, who entered the race as the 100-meter freestyle world record holder, to edge out the French team and win the gold medal in the 400 free relay. By the way, the U.S. shattered its own world record, set one day earlier in the preliminaries, in a time of 3 minutes, 8.24 seconds, just ahead of France, which clocked in at 3:08.32. The previous record was 3:12.23, marking an unheard-of four-second drop in world record time.

Phelps, who swam the lead-off leg, and Garett Weber-Gale nearly exploded in celebration after Lezak touched the wall. This was considered the most difficult race in Phelps' quest for eight golds, and given that he was out of control of 75 percent of the race, it was probably the most nerve-wracking for Phelps as well.

"I think this will be one of the races that he'll never forget for the rest of his life," said Cullen Jones, who ran the third leg of the relay for the Americans, of Phelps. "I saw a little twinkle in his eye. He was a little more excited about this one."

It could explain his expression upon the completion of the race.

Or maybe he was just that impressed with Lezak's anchor-leg performance.

Phelps touched the wall second in the first 100 behind Australia's Eamon Sullivan, whose lead-off leg set the 100 free world record. Weber-Gale made up ground in the second leg and sent Jones into the water with the U.S. leading. Jones, however fell behind France's Frederick Bousquet, and by the time the final leg began, the U.S. trailed France by 0.82 seconds. It appeared an impossible time to make up given Bernard's 100-meter strength.

But Lezak started making up time with a remarkable reaction time off the blocks of .04 seconds, the best reaction time of anyone in the race. At the final turn, Lezak was still a half body-length behind Bernard. But his turn was aggressive, and he immediately began drafting off Bernard, who was to Lezak's right in lane five.

In the final 25 meters, Lezak made up the entire ground and timed his final stroke perfectly to stretch for the wall just before Bernard.

Lezak's split was the fastest in the history of the event, 46.06 seconds.

"I knew it was going to come down to the end, and I was hoping to be ahead, but I never lost hope," the 32-year-old Lezak said. "I don't know how I was able to take it back that fast, because I've never been able to come anywhere near that (24.56 seconds) for the last 50.

"I can't even explain it, it was unreal. I've been a part of the two teams at the last two Olympics that came out behind, and I think I wanted it more than anybody, not just for myself, but to show that we are the nation to be beat in that relay."

Among those who receive gold medals for the U.S. win is 19-year-old Nathan Adrian, who trained for the past year with Gary Hall Jr. and the Race Club in Islamorada. He ran the opening leg of the prelims on the team that set the previous world record.

If Phelps can avoid any unexpected slip-ups, his eight-gold goal appears more realistic than ever.