Frenchman fires up U.S. relay team

BEIJING – The last thing in the world the United States needed was a kick in the rear of their LZR Racer Speedos. And yet, sometimes the spirit of competition delivers fortuitous luxuries anyway.

“The Americans? We’re going to smash them. That’s what we came here for.”

The we in that statement is the French men’s 4x100 freestyle relay team. And the who making the proclamation was Frenchman Alain Bernard, who holds the current world record in the 100-meter freestyle. And the statement? Well, somewhere U.S. Swimming head coach Mark Schubert is buying a bottle of wine for Bernard, who just gave Schubert’s team the perfect gift only two days before the start of competition.

Motivation.

While the U.S. men’s team undoubtedly had it going into these Beijing Games, it was only a few months ago that Schubert was seemingly worried about success going to the heads of his men’s team. Since the 2007 world championships, there were whispers that this might be the best American men’s team ever. And that after the Beijing Games, it might be known as the best collection of men’s swimmers in Olympic history.

“If they want that title,” Schubert said, “they are going to have to earn it.”

Bernard’s proclamation smacked of the smash-the-Australians-like-guitars remark made by Gary Hall Jr. prior to the 4x100 freestyle relay in the 2000 Games at Sydney. That worked out about as badly as it could have for the United States – with the Australians taking gold, then rubbing in the victory by strumming air guitars after the win. But just as the Australians took Hall’s smack-talking personally, the Americans will take Bernard’s to heart, too – particularly considering the team has been looking for a villain to unite it.

With so many Americans focusing over the last few months on beating one another – Aaron Peirsol vs. Ryan Lochte, Ryan Lochte vs. Michael Phelps, Michael Phelps vs. everyone – Bernard’s boast will undoubtedly deliver a unifying focus. Especially for Phelps, who rarely appears riled in the water but who also devours negative comments from opponents and transforms them into rocket fuel in the pool.

Even before Bernard’s remarks, the Americans had already been buzzing about the French quartet in the 4x100 freestyle: Bernard, Amaury Leveaux, Fabien Gilot and Frederick Bousquet. Phelps said he was shocked when he heard France’s most recent time in June – 3:12.54 – obliterating the previous European record by 1.5 seconds. That also just barely missed breaking the Americans’ world record by .08 seconds, and signaled a new challenge for whatever star-studded threesome joins Phelps in the finals of the event on Monday.

“They got everyone’s attention,” Lochte said. “Not just us, but everyone in the world. Nobody can take them lightly.”

In a way, the 4x100 freestyle has become something of a sore spot for the program, and one they would like to put to bed in these games. After losing the gold in Sydney, Phelps and Co. could only manage bronze in 2004 at Athens, finishing behind South Africa and – shockingly – the Netherlands. That race featured a remarkably slow 50.05 leg by Ian Crocker, who posted the slowest time of all 32 swimmers in the finals.

Now the Americans are carrying three of the foursome that set the world record in Victoria, British Columbia, in 2006: Phelps, Cullen Jones and Jason Lezak. The foursome in this year’s final is expected to include Phelps, Lezak and Garrett Weber-Gale – who owns the 100-meter freestyle record in the United States. The fourth swimmer could end up being the wild card that holds the key to gold. Nathan Adrian, Jones and even Lochte could factor into the finals.

But even having a threesome of the 4x100 freestyle’s world record holders hasn’t brought predictions of a sure gold.

“The French have been big improvers after their trials,” Australian head swimming coach Alan Thompson said. “They’re probably truly the favorites.”

But that might be exactly what the Americans need to hear. That for all the talk about boasting major superstars and one of the best rosters in American history, not everyone thinks they are invincible – not everyone thinks they can’t be smashed.