Mark Spitz
Mark Spitz
Mark Andrew Spitzis an American former competition swimmer, nine-time Olympic champion, and former world record-holder in seven events. He won seven gold medals at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, an achievement surpassed only by Michael Phelps, who won eight golds at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. Spitz set new world records in all seven events in which he competed in 1972, an achievement that still stands. Since the year 1900, no other swimmer has gained so great a...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionSwimmer
Date of Birth10 February 1950
CityModesto, CA
CountryUnited States of America
It really changed how we do things in sports. Certainly, nothing happened to preplan or expect what was going to happen that day, as opposed to today, when extreme logistics go into planning.
Did I take it all in on the awards stand? The only time I would have done that was my last event, because I was always thinking about the next one.
I have a pool at my home that is 12.5 m long, so that if I swim eight laps, I can look at the time and say, that's my time for 100 m.
To be recognized as great is the culmination of a career, not a specific event. So we will have to wait and see, for Ian Thorpe.
New generation, I guess. The important thing is that we're getting the museum back on its feet.
If you fail to prepare, you're prepared to fail.
When I went to the Olympics, I had every intention of shaving the mustache off, but I realized I was getting so many comments about it - and everybody was talking about it - that I decided to keep it.
The memories of the Munich games for me are of triumph and tragedy.
All things being equal, if we could simulate the same scenario, he has a lot more difficult task. He's elected to swim six individual events, as opposed to what I elected to do, which was four.
This is a way to get the museum back on its feet.
The officials I was with, I don't know if they were unaware, but they didn't say anything to me. The whole thing turned into what did I see and what did I know.
Goggles were not allowed. A cap was allowed, but I chose not to wear one. I grew the mustache because a coach in college said I couldn't grow one.
He gave me an opportunity to swim against the best swimmer of his day in the lane next to me, ... Don Schollander. He said, 'Keep up with him,' which I did. Then he taught me how to beat him, which I did. He was a great teacher. He knew what he was doing, and he instilled a tremendous amount of confidence in those around him.
I realized I had to step up to the responsibilities of my dream.