Fact of the Day
1998-08-19

Swimmer of the Century?
Mark Andrew Spitz, born February 10th, 1950, in Modesto, California, won 7 Gold Medals at the Munich Olympics, 1972, a feat never before achieved by a single person in one Olympics. His seven gold medal wins were as follows:

  • 100 metres freestyle-51.22
  • 200 metres freestyle-1:52.78
  • 100 metres butterfly-54.27
  • 200 metres butterfly-2:00.70
  • 400 freestyle relay (anchor)-3:26.42
  • 800 freestyle relay (anchor)-7:35.78
  • 400 medley relay (butterfly leg)-3:48.16

After each evening's success, Spitz, an Omar Sharif look-alike, surrounded by teen-age girls, employed pre-arranged escape strategies, as he slipped away from the pool in a gray Mercedes Benz driven by U.S. Men's coach, Peter Daland.