Great Olympians
Mark Spitz
Mark Spitz of the U.S.A. in action at the 1972 Olympics Games in Munich, Germany. Spitz achieved medal winning fame at these Munich Games where he won seven golds, the highest any Olympic Competitor has won for any sport at single Games. He took both freestyle sprint titles together with the butterfly stroke at these distances, with the others medals in sprints and relays. He set world records on 26 occasions in individual events and was expected to win at least six golds at Mexico in 1968, but after a few defeats his confidence was shattered and he took only siver and bronze from an exhausting programme. Twenty years on, he tried to recapture his youth by challenging for a place in the American Olympic team in Barcelona, but was unable to cope with the new high standards. (Tony Duffy/Allsport/Getty Images)
