. >> cullen jones, watched him grow up. simone manuel, i watched her grow up. maritza correia. i'm very proud of them. >> we think of swim coach jim ellis. do you think his contributions to the field opened up doors for people like you and others? >> i love that man. and i don't think i say it enough. >> u.s. has the slight lead in the third leg of this four-man event. >> reporter: it was at the 2008 olympics in beijing when cullen jones solidified his name in history, swimming on a legendary team comprised of jason lezak, garrett weber-gale and michael phelps. jones won gold in the 4x100 freestyle relay. and broke the world record. becoming the first african american to accomplish this feat. he says it was rare to see other swimmers who looked like him. >> you are really regarded as one of the best swimmers our community has to offer. why do you think there aren't more of you? >> it's not just access because access is a very easy way for a lot of people to be like oh, this is the reason black people don't swim. that is something that has been pushed out of our culture. but we