Mark Spitz
Considered the Greatest Olympic athlete of all-time, Mark Spitz is synonymous with excellence. He is world renown for his swimming achievements. Mark was a competitive swimmer at his local swim club in Sacramento, California by the age of six. At age nine, he was training with Sherm Chavoor, the swimming coach who mentored Mark and six other Olympic medal winners. Mark demonstrated his talents at the early age of 10, holding 17 national age-group records and one world record. At 16, he won the 100 meter butterfly at the National AAU Championships, the first of his 24 AAU titles. After competing in the 1968 Olympics, Mark went to Indiana University at the age of 18 to train with legendary coach Doc Counsilman. He was at Indiana from 1968 to 1972 as a pre-dental student, and during that time, he won eight individual NCAA titles. In 1971, he won the James E. Sullivan Award as the top amateur athlete in the United States. He was named “World Swimmer of the Year” in 1969, 1971 and 1972. At the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City, Mark boldly predicted that he would win six Gold Medals. Although he took home two team Gold Medals from the relays, he performed well below expectations in individual races. At the 1972 Munich Olympics, Mark tried again. Over a period of eight days, Mark Spitz had entered seven events, won all seven and set a world record in every one. Mark is the only person to win seven Gold Medals at one Olympics and he is one of only four athletes to earn nine career Gold Medals. Mark’s accomplishments at Munich were overshadowed by the Palestinian terrorism attack, known as the Munich Massacre, which claimed the lives of 11 Israeli athletes. In the immediate aftermath, security personnel whisked Mark, who is Jewish, away from Munich. Mark retired from swimming after the Munich Games at the age of 22. In 2000, Mark was voted “Athlete of the Century” in water sports and one of the “Six Greatest Olympians Ever” by Sports Illustrated. Recently, the International Olympic Committee selected Mark as one of its “Five Athletes of the Century.” Mark currently resides in Los Angeles with his wife, Suzy, and two sons. Career Highlights • • • 11-time Olympic Medalist More Gold Medals in a single Olympics than any athlete in Olympic history Set 26 World and 35 U.S. Records
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