Fydler I had no idea at the time how fast he was swimming. Mike is a great guy to lead off with … he had a high rating and for me,the crowd dims at that point. When he turned at the other end,I just kept an eye on him coming in. It was a great start but you aren’t thinking about the lead that much because you are just concentrating on the change.
We had a strategy to really encourage the Americans to chase us,getting Mike out in front and getting them to press hard on that first lap so we could really blast that last 25m of the second lap and get the lead back and extend it. Each one of us had to get the job done.
Callus The gun went and Klimmy was such a superior athlete with his skills and underwater work,so he was half a body length in front before he even started swimming.
Klim really put a spanner in their works by giving us such a good start. I don’t think they expected that… I don’t think we expected that. I think that threw their race plan a little bit and they had to really chase hard in that first lap. I meant we could really focus on that second 50.
Thorpe You can’t see from the position but I was watching on the screen,while also keeping myself warm,because I’m in a wet swimsuit at this stage. I’m looking up and see how far ahead he is at the first 50 and I was like,‘Wow,this is great’.
I knew he’d broken the world record when he touched and Michael got out of the pool and asked me what time he did. I told him he’d broken the world record and he asked,‘Yeah,but what time?’. I said ‘I don’t know the exact time but you broke the world record. Either way,it’s good’. I don’t think Michael could see that far.
Klim I definitely felt I was putting it all together. I had a great start,maximised my underwater and didn’t breathe for the first 20m of that race. Even my underwater after the turn,everything just seemed to click,I hadn’t felt any tension at all. I think I actually built in confidence as the race went on.
I looked across at Lorenzo Vismara (Italy),who on was on my right coming back,and I couldn’t even see him. I couldn’t even see his white water,so I thought I was at least two body lengths ahead of this guy. It was almost like a time trial swim and that’s the kind of race you want to do. The result spoke for itself. It was the fastest time (48.18s) I’d ever done and I didn’t get anywhere near it since. It felt perfect.
Michael Klim (48.18s) smashes the individual 100m freestyle world record to set up a decisive lead over Anthony Ervin (48.89).
The second 100m,Chris Fydler v Neil Walker:'I’m slowing... but just not as fast as he was slowing.'
![Chris Fydler and Neil Walker.](https://static.ffx.io/images/$width_300%2C$height_150/t_crop_auto/t_sharpen%2Cq_auto%2Cf_auto/f2ab85732a24bd6eecf5bef1d27b39c53e89b502)
Chris Fydler and Neil Walker.Credit:SMH
Fydler Neil had been,for the best part of five or six years,the fastest of the Americans and a very good 100 freestyler. We knew how all of them raced,we studied all of them and they were mostly a lot faster in that first 50m than we were. We also knew we were strong at the back end.
Thorpe We knew every one of us was going to have a better second 50 than the Americans. There was no issue in terms of strategy because we knew how the Americans would swim this race. Fyds saw that lead that Michael had created disappear really quickly but then he touches ahead again. All of his experience really started to show.
FydlerMy job was to be three or four per cent slower and encourage Neil to really chase hard in that first 50. We would then start to drag these guys off in the last 25m. The turn was good,I kept my head down,because in a 100 relay there are waves everywhere. You hang under a bit more and pop up and start driving.
In that last 50m,I wanted to build and finish really strongly. It feels a little different than it looks. I’m not accelerating…. I’m slowing but just not as fast as he was slowing. I just remember at that point,I had swum so many 100 frees,and that point of the race is so painful. The most important part then is to get your hand on the wall cleanly.
The worst thing you can do is to start shortening your stroke because that makes it so hard for the next guy to time the change. You just put your head down,you don’t breathe and that’s the job you have to do.
Callus That’s when the nerves really started to tingle,because Fyds had a considerable lead next to Neil Walker,who was the second-fastest man in the world at the time. Fyds was swimming very well and so when he turned at the 150 mark to come back,all I remember getting up on the blocks,staring down the lane,feeling pins and needles in my fingers and toes,had a glance up into the crowd and the grandstand looked massive,the noise was deafening.
Chris Fydler (48.48) pours it on in the second 50m to power away from Neil Walker (48.31) and keep Australia in front at the halfway point.
The third 100m,Ashley Callus v Jason Lezak:'I knew that if I didn't fight like a dog,the end result could have been different.'
![Ashley Callus and Jason Lezak.](https://static.ffx.io/images/$width_300%2C$height_150/t_crop_auto/t_sharpen%2Cq_auto%2Cf_auto/fd30362365644fa0c6cd1a836e93d3fea76cafac)
Ashley Callus and Jason Lezak.Credit:SMH
Callus I jumped in and everything was tingling,the adrenaline was just rushing through me. He was quick out of the gates but I knew if I could turn with him at the 50,even though he had pulled me back quite a bit,I was in with a shot coming down the second 50.
I could see him there,you use your peripheral vision and all of your senses are going overtime. The thing I do remember is going into the turn is that I didn’t want to let the other guys down,because I was given a significant lead.
Fydler When I finish,I’m in a world of pain. You are struggling to move and your legs are on fire. I don’t remember seeing much of Ash at all.
Klim Standing from behind,I thought his stroke started to get a bit short but he was still so composed. To put things into context,Jason Lezak has the fastest relay split in history. He is the fastest swimmer ever to cover 100m freestyle. So for Ash to stay just on his shoulder then hold his speed,it was just phenomenal.
Thorpe I'm not too focused on Ash swimming at this point. I stand on the blocks very,very early. It was partly me owning the arena again. It’s home ground advantage so I’m going to use it. I stood up early for any mental gain I could have… I’m not intimidated.
I hadn’t thought of that beforehand,it was motivating for me,it meant I was ready and I was focused. It happened in that time and that’s how it played out.
I never see Ashley touch the wall but I could see how much he was fighting at the end to hold onto his stroke for me. The worst thing you can do is your stroke shortens (near the end). I count each stroke coming in so I have a rhythm so I know exactly when he’s going to touch. You try to maintain that stroke the best you can so you can give the next swimmer the tightest start possible.
Callus I came off the wall and just launched into the second 50. At the 75,I knew he was starting to tire and I was feeling relaxed and strong. That enabled Thorpey to get a flying start against one of the best relay finishers there has ever been. I knew that if I didn't fight like a dog,the end result could have been different.
Ashley Callus (48.71) was headed in the first lap but digs deep to hold off Jason Lezak (48.42) and give Ian Thorpe the lead at the final change.
The final 100m,Ian Thorpe v Gary Hall jnr:'I put my head down and just ploughed through.'
![Ian Thorpe and Gary Hall jr.](https://static.ffx.io/images/$width_300%2C$height_150/t_crop_auto/t_sharpen%2Cq_auto%2Cf_auto/22520bc69807345a8fbef231bc409876f6ed6131)
Ian Thorpe and Gary Hall jr.Credit:SMH
ThorpeI heard the biggest cheer of my career in the 400m and that was only eclipsed when people were cheering for me then. It was a good changeover. I started swimming well and feeling good… I didn’t know whether I was going fast or slow but I was feeling good in the water.
In the first 15 or 20m that the huge roar just kind of changed to a collective sigh,because it was quite incredible how quickly (Gary Hall jnr went past me) and I was going as fast as I could swim.
KlimWe all know how talented Thorpey was,even as a 15-year-old becoming a world champion. His talent was never questioned. But I guess he’d never swum in a high-pressure 100m relay like that previously. I thought we’d swum a really amazing relay. We’ll be satisfied with the silver,we threw everything at it.
Fydler We knew Ian had a lead when he got away and then I remember thinking how hard we had worked to get that lead,only to watch it disappear in the first 15m. I was thinking,‘Oh God,I hope he has the speed’ because he wasn’t a 100m freestyler. He improved that event immeasurably over the coming years but,at that stage,he was mostly a distance specialist.
Gary was all over him in the first 15 or 20m. The next thought for me was at the turn and Gary had about a metre or a metre-and-a-half on him then. I remember saying to Mike,‘Do you think he can catch him?’ and Mike was always positive,he thought Ian could get there.
Callus Well,to be honest,I didn’t know the capabilities of what he was able to really do in that scenario. But when athletes are put into that sort of position,they have to find another gear and I think Thorpey found not just sixth gear but seventh gear to get over the top of Gary Hall. He just rose to another level.
Thorpe Knowing that I would go in behind him,I turned and I think it was the turn when I first got back into the race after Gary had put some distance on me. I had a really good turn and just popped out of the water like a cork. It does take me a while to start making ground,or making up the distance.
With 25 to go,the crowd starts to warm back up and I can hear it. With 15 to go,I remind myself that he is going to be hurting more than I am. He’s a sprinter,I had the background and capacity to do this last leg a bit better than he can. I focused on making sure my stroke was long. With about eight metres to go,I put my head down and just ploughed through,knowing that this was going to be down to the touch.
Australia 3:13.67 WR (Michael Klim 48.18 WR),Chris Fydler (48.48),Ashley Callus (48.71),Ian Thorpe (48.30) defeat theUnited States3:13.86 (Anthony Ervin 48.89,Neil Walker 48.31,Jason Lezak 48.42,Gary Hall jnr 48.24).
Final victory,grace in defeat and the famous air guitar:'When he landed in Australia,that was all over the front page.'
Ian Thorpe comes to the wall ahead of Gary Hall jnr in the 4x100m freestyle relay.Credit:IOC
Fydler There is the horrible moment when you think ‘Shit,I hope none of us broke’. So we are going crazy and you are just waiting for correct weight. When that came up,the crowd was just out of control. When the times came up,it was crazy in there.
The guitar thing was a classic. Michael said it was me that instigated it but I have poor memories of that… it could very well have been. That was another great moment to watch and I think the humour of that was appreciated by most people.
Thorpe Fyds told Klimmy:‘We should play guitar now’.
Klim I think it was between Fyds and Ian,myself being a bit naive,I just jumped straight at it and probably took it a little bit too far. It’s something people still talk about and remember. I have never celebrated that way ever again. People remember the air guitar relay.
It came about because Gary did a column forSports Illustrated and he was sponsored by Gibson (guitars). He was actually very complimentary ("My biased opinion says that we will smash them like guitars. Historically the US has always risen to the occasion. But the logic in that remote area of my brain says it won't be so easy for the United States to dominate the waters this time").
He’s a great guy. He got a bit annoyed because the media took that one sentence where he tried to give the sponsors a plug. When he landed in Australia,that was all over the front page.
That’s the drama and theatre of sport and it’s better for characters like Gary. He was the first one to come across and congratulate us as well. They showed a lot of respect and we still have a pretty good friendship with all of those guys,especially Gary and myself.
![Anthony Ervin and Gary Hall jr would have their moment,dead heating for first in the 50m freestyle at the Sydney Games.](https://static.ffx.io/images/$width_300%2C$height_150/t_crop_auto/t_sharpen%2Cq_auto%2Cf_auto/f9df367c6a3c79d7184721da8f9ddaa49e39416c)
Anthony Ervin and Gary Hall jr would have their moment,dead heating for first in the 50m freestyle at the Sydney Games.Credit:Dallas Kilponen
An Olympic legacy and an unbreakable bond:'To this day,people thank me for that moment'
Fydler I can’t really put my finger on what it is about that race that people love and remember. I recognise that it was the first night of an Olympic Games,I know it was a great race to watch and it still is and we conquer the old foe. I feel so fortunate to be part of that. To have four guys swimming at their best on that night and that moment is rare.
Klim For me,it’s a great honour to still be talking about an event that I was part of and people still tell me now about where they were when they watched that race and the pride they felt when we won. We’re not changing the planet but if we can entertain and make people proud,that’s very cool. We swim because we love it and to give people joy. That’s what I cherish the most out of that event… to this day,people thank me for that moment.
Callus: It’s been 20 years now,which I can’t believe. When you experience something like that,you are always going to have a special bond. We don’t call each other every day but we always stay in contact and when you do,you can just tell that special connection is there.
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Thorpe I remember the boys quite literally were holding me up. It was overwhelming. I had to really manage my emotions after my win in the 400m freestyle so I allowed myself to enjoy that moment.
I didn’t actually know they (USA) had never been beaten at an Olympics. So it wasn’t until later that I found that out. I guess I didn’t realise the significance of that… I just made the assumption that I had.
I was with my mates and we were able to produce a performance that we would never have been able to produce on our own. And each of us did more for the collective than we could ever expect from ourselves. I think that’s what we shared.
People still - and its usually in each Olympic year - they come up to me and say ‘I’ve started watching all of your YouTube videos,you’re amazing’. And it’s because of that race. It’s that night for them,the 400m but the 4x100m is the race,I think,for the Sydney Olympics.
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