“I did not have a smooth journey to the top. I made plenty of mistakes- but I always learned from them.” Jason Lezak, eight-time Olympic medalist and owner of the fastest 100M free relay split of all-time, spent a day at SwimLabs Highlands Ranch on May 31. Lezak spoke to swimmers, parents and coaches about his unique journey before offering critique and feedback to swimmers and recording for the video library. Lezak started swimming at age five and swam until retirement at age 37. He attended four Olympic Games (2000 to 2012), held the American Record in the 100 free, and finished his Olympic career as the captain of the US Olympic swim team in 2012. But Lezak emphasized not his success but the challenges he faced and mistakes he made. He held national age group records at a young age, but his passion faded and he fell off the national scene between age ten and freshman year in high school. “When I started high school, I noticed how much fun everyone was having. I remembered that swimming was supposed to be fun and changed my mindset to be more positive. Good results followed.” With renewed passion, Lezak excelled in high school and earned a scholarship to University of California, Santa Barbara. He made the Olympic Trials cut in the […]