Seven gold medals at Munich 1972 — a record that stood for 36 years.
Mark Andrew Spitz was born in Modesto, California in 1950. He won seven gold medals at the 1972 Munich Olympics — each in a world record time. His nine Olympic gold medals overall was the most in history until Michael Phelps surpassed it in 2008. He had predicted winning six golds at the 1968 Mexico City Olympics and won only two — his Munich performance was in part redemptive. The 1972 Munich Olympics were also the site of the Palestinian terrorist attack on the Israeli team — Spitz, who is Jewish, was immediately evacuated to a US military base for security reasons before the Games concluded.
Seven gold medals at 1972 Olympics, all in world record time
How They Played
Butterfly and freestyle specialist with exceptional technique
Lasting Impact
Greatest Olympic swimmer of his era, held records for decades
Olympic Gold 9x (1968:1, 1972:7)
Career Honours
- Olympic Gold 9x (1968:1, 1972:7)
- World Record 7x
- Sullivan Award 1971