History Has Been Made

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and like Michael, I am at a loss for words. How can one describe such a phenomenal event without it sounding cold and mechanical? Words, phrases, emotions keep running through my mind, but how do I put them all together? Watching the race, I think I was more nervous than the athletes themselves.

I'd been working on this sock

(me)

all day. I'd made it past the heel turn and the gusset decreases when I decided to put it aside and pick up the lace shawl once again. I watched Dara Torres win a silver medal at age 41, then come back less than an hour later and anchor the women's 4 x 100 meter relay, which also won a silver medal.

The next race was the big one. Michael was going for number 8. As time grew nearer, I got more and more jittery. I tried working on the shawl, but my hands were shaking so much I had to set it aside.

I couldn't stay in my chair. By the time the race started, I was on my knees in the floor. As each swimmer entered the water,

(Heinz Kluetmeier/SI)

I cheered him on, yelling "Go Aaron," "Come on, Brendan," "Swim, Michael"--an unusual thing for me to do, but then this was not your ordinary, everyday swim meet.

(Cameron Spencer/ Getty Images)

By the time anchor Jason Lezak swam his leg, I was yelling "Go Jason!" so loudly and franticly, both dogs came over to see what was wrong.

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Jason was once again the hero of the race, holding off a charging Eamon Sullivan from Australia to touch the wall first. There would be no .08 second margin of victory this time. It was clear who won. They'd done it again.

Only this time, they made history.

(Timothy Clary/APF/Getty Images)

And Michael? When he saw that they'd won, when he realized that he'd done what no other human has ever done,

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he didn't brag about how great he was, or how he'd set the record, or how he'd become the greatest Olympian ever. No, the first thing he did was to turn to his team mates and say,

"Thank you!"

(Carl De Souza/APF/Getty Images)

And he said it over and over again as he embraced them. "Thank you. I couldn't have done it without you."

Character, as well as phenomenal physical ability. He truly is

(Michael Kappler/APF/Getty Images)

Superman.



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