Search results
Apr 21, 2015 · Mark Spitz has responded publicly for the first time to an article in Express Sports UK, ... “It is unfortunate that my quote was misconstrued regarding Omega, Michael Phelps and his race at the ...
Mark Andrew Spitz (born February 10, 1950) is an American former competitive swimmer and nine-time Olympic champion. He was the most successful competitor at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, winning seven gold medals, each in world-record time. This achievement set a record that lasted for 36 years, until it was surpassed by fellow American ...
- 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
- Indiana University
- 161 lb (73 kg)
- United States
Apr 9, 2024 · Mark Spitz (born February 10, 1950, Modesto, California, U.S.) is an American swimmer who, at the 1972 Olympics in Munich, became the first athlete to win seven gold medals in a single Games. Like many other outstanding American swimmers, Spitz trained for several years at the Santa Clara (California) Swim Club.
- The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Mark Spitz was the most successful athlete to come out of Munich 1972, winning a total of seven gold medals – an achievement that was only broken by Michael Phelps 36 years later at Beijing 2008 when he took home eight. But back in 1972, all eyes were on Spitz. He already had six gold medals in the bag but was hesitating to compete in the ...
People also ask
Who is Mark Spitz?
Was Mark spitz'misconstrued'?
How does Mark Spitz become a legend?
How many gold medals did Mark Spitz win?
Jun 5, 2021 · After the 1972 Olympics & Now. A newly-minted celebrity, Spitz, tried his hand at acting, but it didn't really take. He has, however, appeared in some advertisements over the years, including doing a Snickers ad with Evel Knievel. After returning from the Olympics, he met Suzy Weiner, who was a student at UCLA at the time.
Sep 4, 2022 · By Jeré Longman. Sept. 4, 2022. SANTA MONICA, Calif. — On Sept. 5, 1972, a brief editorial in The New York Times noted that “nothing that has happened in Munich so far this summer can compare ...
- Competing Young, and Winning
- Jewish Identity
- Whisked Away
- That Famous Mustache
- After Munich
- Spitz Looks Back
By age 10, Spitz was already a standout swimmer and getting private swim lessons near his family’s home in Sacramento, California. The Spitzes eventually moved to Santa Clara so he could be mentored by Olympic swim coach George Haines. At age 14, he was competing in national championships, and by 17, he had already set or tied five U.S. records and...
Not much has been written about whether Spitz’s family was particularly observant, but one often-repeated story makes his father’s priorities clear. When he was 10 and his hours in the pool began to interfere with Hebrew school, his father supposedly told the rabbi: “Even God likes a winner.” And when his first coach, Sherman Chavoor,invited him to...
In an interview with The New York Timesa decade after the ’72 Olympics, Spitz said he only learned of the attack and the ongoing hostage situation at a press conference where he thought he’d be talking about swimming. ”I was shocked and stunned,” he told the Times. “The press wanted my words because, first, I was Jewish, and second, they thought I ...
Look at any photo of Spitz from Munich and you can’t help but be struck by the difference between his appearance then, and how swimmers compete today. He had no goggles and no swim cap. In fact, he had a full head of dark hair and a mustache. Considering that nowadays even male swimmers routinely shave their body hair to reduce resistance in the wa...
Spitz was 22 coming out of Munich. He had a bachelor’s degree from Indiana University, and in interviews at the games, he said he planned to immediately retire from competitive swimming and go to dental school. After winning his fourth race in Munich, when asked what he’d do with all his medals, he said: “Maybe I’ll hang ’em in my dental office.” T...
Today, at age 72, the mustache is gone. He’sbeen married to the same woman, Suzy Weiner, since 1973. He’s described on his websiteas not just the “world’s greatest swimmer,” but also an “athlete, motivational speaker, influencer, investor, husband, father.” Spitz did not respond to requests for comment for this story made through his website, his s...
