Mark Spitz
Mark Spitz (2012 )
Mark Andrew Spitz ( born February 10, 1950 in Modesto, California) is an American former world-class swimmer.
His first international successes came as a 15- year-old at the 1965 Maccabiah Games in Tel Aviv, where he won four gold medals. At the Pan American Games in Winnipeg in 1967, he won five gold medals, setting a record that was broken until 40 years later by the Brazilian Thiago Pereira in the Pan American Games in 2007 with six gold medals. In the Summer Olympics 1968 in Mexico City Spitz missed its target to win six gold medals. He won only silver over 100m butterfly and bronze over 100m freestyle. Only in the 4x100 m freestyle relay and the 4x200 m freestyle relay he won the gold medal.
Then Spitz enrolled as a student at Indiana University, to prepare under coach James Counsilman to the Summer Olympic Games in Munich. During his time at Indiana University, he won eight NCAA titles.
Mark Spitz won at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich seven gold medals and set a world record in each case. For these achievements Spitz was awarded the Sportsman of the Year Award from the Associated Press. He won the following competitions:
- 200 m butterfly in 2:00,70 minutes (28 August 1972)
- 4 × 100 m freestyle relay in 3:26,42 minutes (28 August 1972)
- 200 m freestyle in 1:52,78 minutes (29 August 1972)
- 100 m butterfly in 0:54,27 minutes (31 August 1972)
- 4 × 200 m freestyle relay in 7:35,78 minutes (31 August 1972)
- 100 m freestyle in 0:51,22 minutes (3 September 1972)
- 4 × 100 m Medley Relay in 3:48,16 minutes (4 September 1972)
He then joined at the age of only 22 years, from sport back to market its popularity. A total of nine Olympic medals go to his account, two of them at the Summer Olympics in 1968 in Mexico City. Mark Spitz made in the course of his career at 33 world records, 26 in individual disciplines and seven in relay events.
In 1977 he was inducted into the Hall of Fame of the international swimming sport. His attempt yet to qualify at the age of 41 years for the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, failed.
Only at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing Mark Spitz's legendary performance of seven world records, including gold medal at the Olympics by his compatriot Michael Phelps has been set; since it won a total of eight gold medals Mark Spitz was exceeded after 36 years in this classification.