Editing Mark Spitz (section)

===1972 Olympics===
{{See also|Swimming at the 1972 Summer Olympics|1972 Summer Olympics}}
{{MedalTableTop|name=no|Header=Olympic medal record|Mark Spitz 1972.jpg|220px|Spitz at the 1972 Olympics}}
{{MedalSport | [[1972 Summer Olympics|1972 Munich]]}}
{{MedalCountry|the USA}}
{{MedalGold| [[Swimming at the 1972 Summer Olympics – Men's 200 metre butterfly|200 m butterfly]] |[[World record progression 200 metres butterfly|2:00.70 (WR)]]}}
{{MedalGold| [[Swimming at the 1972 Summer Olympics – Men's 4 x 100 metre freestyle relay|4×100 m freestyle relay]] |[[World record progression 4 × 100 metres freestyle relay|3:26.42 (WR)]]}}
{{MedalGold| [[Swimming at the 1972 Summer Olympics – Men's 200 metre freestyle|200 m freestyle]] |[[World record progression 200 metres freestyle|1:52.78 (WR)]]}}
{{MedalGold| [[Swimming at the 1972 Summer Olympics – Men's 100 metre butterfly|100 m butterfly]] |[[World record progression 100 metres butterfly|54.27 (WR)]]}}
{{MedalGold| [[Swimming at the 1972 Summer Olympics – Men's 4 x 200 metre freestyle relay|4×200 m freestyle relay]] |[[World record progression 4 × 200 metres freestyle relay|7:35.78 (WR)]]}}
{{MedalGold| [[Swimming at the 1972 Summer Olympics – Men's 100 metre freestyle|100 m freestyle]] |[[World record progression 100 metres freestyle|51.22 (WR)]]}}
{{MedalGold| [[Swimming at the 1972 Summer Olympics – Men's 4 x 100 metre medley relay|4×100 m medley relay]] |[[World record progression 4 × 100 metres medley relay|3:48.16 (WR)]]}}
{{MedalBottom}}

At the [[Swimming at the 1972 Summer Olympics|1972 Summer Olympics]] in [[Munich]], Spitz was back to repeat his quest for the six gold medals. He did even better, winning seven Olympic gold medals. Furthermore, Spitz set a new world record in each of the seven events – 100-meter freestyle (51.22), 200-meter freestyle (1:52.78), 100-meter butterfly (54.27), 200-meter butterfly (2:00.70), 4×100-meter freestyle relay (3:26.42), 4×200-meter freestyle relay (7:35.78), and 4×100-meter medley relay (3:48.16). Spitz was originally reluctant to swim the 100-meter freestyle, fearing that he would not win the gold medal. Minutes before the race, he confessed on the pool deck to [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]]'s [[Donna de Varona]], "I know I say I don't want to swim before every event, but this time I'm serious. If I swim six and win six, I'll be a hero. If I swim seven and win six, I'll be a failure." Spitz won by half a stroke in a world-record time of 51.22 seconds.<ref>Moore, K. Spitz's mark of seven world records in one Olympic meet was equaled by [[Michael Phelps]] in 2008. (This was because Phelps's 100-meter butterfly win fell short of the world mark). [http://vault.sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1068953/2/index.htm "Bionic Man."] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080820175221/http://vault.sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1068953/2/index.htm |date=August 20, 2008 }} Sports Illustrated. October 23, 1989. Retrieved August 13, 2008.</ref>
[[File:MarkSpitz1972Jacket.jpg|thumb|Jacket worn by Mark Spitz during the 1972 Summer Olympics.]]

Spitz is one of seven Olympians (four of them swimmers) to win [[List of multiple Olympic gold medalists|nine or more career gold medals]]: [[Larisa Latynina]], [[Paavo Nurmi]], [[Carl Lewis]], [[Katie Ledecky]], and [[Caeleb Dressel]] also have nine;<ref>{{cite book |title= The Complete Book of the Olympics: 2008 Edition |last= Wallechinsky |first= David |author2=Jaime Loucky |year= 2008 |publisher=[[Aurum Press]] |isbn= 978-1-84513-330-6 |page= 702}}</ref> only Michael Phelps has won more, with 23. Spitz's [[List of multiple Olympic gold medalists at a single Games|record]] of seven gold medals in a single Olympics was not surpassed until Phelps broke the record at the [[2008 Summer Olympics]].

After he had completed his events, Spitz left Munich early as a result of the [[Munich Massacre]], where eleven Israeli athletes were taken hostage and later murdered by Palestinian terrorists.<ref name="sports-reference1">{{cite Sports-Reference |url=https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/la/shaul-ladany-1.html |title=Shaul Ladany |access-date=February 24, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130207054939/http://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/la/shaul-ladany-1.html |archive-date=February 7, 2013 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=t0KzECrIQDQC&pg=PA161|title=Jews and the Olympic Games: The Clash Between Sport and Politics – With a Complete Review of Jewish Olympic Medalists |author=Taylor, Paul |publisher=Sussex Academic Press |year=2004 |isbn=9781903900888 }}</ref> Being Jewish himself, there was concern among the Olympic authorities that Spitz would become a likely target for the Palestinians and he was escorted to London for his own safety, briefly with an escort of U.S. Marines.<ref name="google1">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bKZa91YO_4YC&pg=PT26|title=One Day in September: The Full Story of the 1972 Munich Olympics Massacre and the Israeli Revenge Operation "Wrath of God" |author=Reeve, Simon  |publisher=Skyhorse Publishing Inc. |year=2011 |isbn=9781611450354 }}</ref><ref name="google3">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FsgDAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA104|author= Moore, Kenny |title=Leading Men|publisher=Runner's World |date=April 2006 }}</ref><ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LT2q2tSuIO8C&pg=PA131|title=Making Other Plans: A Memoir |author=MacKin, Tom  |publisher=Author House |year=2009|isbn=978-1452071510 }}</ref>