Mark Andrew Spitz born February 10, is an American former competitive swimmer and nine-time Olympic champion. He won seven gold medals at the Summer Olympics in Munichall in world record time.

This was an achievement that lasted for 36 years until it was surpassed by fellow American Michael Phelpswho won eight golds at the Summer Olympics in Beijing.

During those years, he set 35 world records, two of which were in trials and unofficial.

He was the third athlete to win nine Olympic gold medals. His family is Jewish ; his father’s family was from Hungary and his mother’s, originally surnamed “Sklotkovick”, were from Russia.

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He’d run like he was trying to commit suicide,” Lenore Spitz told a reporter for Time in At age nine, he was training at Arden Hills Swim Club in Sacramento with swimming coach Sherm Chavoorwho mentored six additional Olympic medal winners.

Spitz held one world age-group record and 17 national records at the age of During his four years there, Mark held national high school records in every stroke and in every distance.

The following year, Spitz emerged on the world swimming stage when he set his first world record at a small California meet with a time of Spitz swam in his first international competition at the Maccabiah Games.

At age 15 in Tel Aviv, he won four gold medals and was named the most outstanding athlete. This time, he won six gold medals.

InSpitz lit the torch to open the Maccabiah Games. Inhe was a member of the U. Spitz was already the holder of ten world records, and he brashly predicted that he would win six gold medals at the Summer Olympics in Mexico City.

Then he reached down to pick up his shoes and waved them to the cheering crowd. Movie swimmer star spangled banner Spitz also set a number of world records during the U. The Complete Book of the Olympics: Edition.

He lost to Russell by a half second, despite holding the world record and having beaten Russell the previous ten times they had swum against each other that year.

Spitz was disappointed in his Olympic performance.

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He called choosing Indiana and Counsilman “the biggest decision of my life and the best. Inhe won the James E.

Sullivan Award as the top amateur athlete in the United States. Spitz also set a number of world records during the U. At the Summer Olympics in MunichSpitz 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 — meter freestyle Spitz was originally reluctant to swim the meter freestyle, fearing that he would not win the gold medal.

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 is one of five Olympians to win nine or more career gold medals : Larisa LatyninaPaavo Nurmiand Carl Lewis also have nine; [17] only Phelps has won more with Spitz’s record of seven gold medals in a single Olympics was not surpassed until Phelps broke the record at the Summer Olympics.

Following the Munich Olympics, Spitz retired from competition even though he was only 22 years old. In Spitz ranked No. At age 41, Spitz attempted a comeback for the Summer Olympics after filmmaker Bud Greenspan offered him a million dollars if he succeeded in qualifying.

Filmed by Greenspan’s cameras, Spitz did not beat the qualifying limit. He was two seconds slower than the requisite time to qualify for the Olympic trials.

After Spitz retired from competitive swimming at age 22, he was managed by the William Morris Agencywhich tried to get him into show business while he was still a household name due to his athletic success.

A poster featuring Spitz wearing his swimsuit and seven gold medals made him the hottest pin-up since Betty Grable.

On the TV drama Emergency! He continued as a broadcaster for some time, but within a few years, he was hardly seen as a public figure [32] except perhaps as a commentator for swimming events like the Summer Olympics.

Instead Spitz focused on his real estate company in Beverly Hills and hobbies such as sailing.

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Spitz narrated Freedom’s Furya Hungarian documentary about the Olympic water polo team’s Blood in the Water match against the Soviet Union during the Revolution of —considered among the most famous water polo matches.

He appeared in an ad for the California Milk Advisory Board. One of his print advertisements featured the caption “I always drink it-is something I like to do.

I want to be loved by the mothers. In he was in a number of Schick razors commercials. The ad was entitled “Shock”.

When Spitz returned from the Olympics, he began dating Suzy Weiner, a UCLA theater student and part-time model, who also was the daughter of one of his father’s business acquaintances.

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Justin was a member of the Stanford swim team. Time magazine asked him if he wanted to return to dental school after the Olympics. I was planning to go, but after the Olympics there were other opportunities.

I did some television and speaking engagements, and things just went from there.

Spitz still lives in Los Angeles with his wife and two sons. Women’s Bikinis Two-Piece Swimsuits discounts on the best women’s two-piece swimwear Filmed by Greenspan’s cameras, Spitz did not beat the qualifying limit.

After Spitz’s return to the United States following the Olympics, he landed several lucrative corporate endorsement contracts.

As his endorsements faded, he started a successful real-estate company in Beverly Hills. There wasn’t anyone who’d gone to the Olympics before me who capitalized the same way on opportunity.

It depends on timing, it depends on hype, it depends on the economy, and most importantly, it depends on looks. I mean, I’ve never seen a magazine of uglies.

That’s our society. I’m not saying it’s right. That’s just the facts. Per his official website, Spitz is self-employed as a corporate spokesperson and motivational speaker.

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He is now also dabbling in the ‘water business’, as he calls it, and is in negotiations to build a water-bottling facility on aquifer-rich land that he and a business partner own.

He travels the world, delivering about 25 lectures a year.

Foster, was released in July In Julyhe endorsed Istanbul ‘s bid to host the Summer Olympicsbut the bid went to Tokyo.

His hobbies include sailing, skiing and collecting art. In an era when other swimmers, male and female, were shaving body hair, he swam with a moustache.

When asked why he initially grew one he stated “I grew the moustache because a coach in college said I couldn’t grow one. Mark Spitz is quoted as saying, “When I went to the Olympics, I had every intention of shaving the moustache off, but I realized I was getting so many comments about it—and everybody was talking about it—that I decided to keep it.

03.03.2020 – In , after graduating from Indiana, he was prepared for the Olympics. Since then, the team has won four World Series—the title ending an year championship drought—and qualified for the postseason 10 times. A pre-dental student, Spitz continued to accumulate awards, medals and world records in swimming. Hans-Joachim Fassnacht Roger Pyttel. Later, on the medal stand, Spitz arrived barefoot, carrying his shoes.

I had some fun with a Russian coach who asked me if my moustache slowed me down. I said, ‘No, as a matter of fact, it deflects water away from my mouth, allows my rear end to rise and make me bullet-shaped in the water, and that’s what had allowed me to swim so great.

When he was asked why he shaved it off he responded “well, one, I’m not swimming anymore; two, it started to turn gray; and three, my wife had never seen me, nor my family, without the moustache.

I’m happy [without it]. After retirement, Spitz was diagnosed with acid reflux diseasea condition from which his physician thinks he suffered throughout his career.

He has also reported having high cholesterol and other chronic health issues. InSpitz was accused of product placement during the medal ceremony.

In Spitz ranked No. Movie swimmer star spangled banner In he criticized FINA for its “embarrassing” attempts to stamp out drug abuse, urging them to test for all known drugs. Warner Brothers.

Following his victory in the meter freestyle, Spitz carried his shoes and arrived barefoot to obtain his gold medal.

After the anthem, he picked up his shoes and waved to the crowd. The Soviets saw this as product placement. When questioned by the IOC, Spitz explained that the gesture was innocent, the shoes were old and he was not paid.

The IOC cleared him of any wrongdoing. Spitz felt snubbed by not being asked to attend the Summer Olympics to watch Michael Phelps attempt to break his seven gold medal record.

In an article, he is quoted as saying, “I never got invited. You don’t go to the Olympics just to say, I am going to go.

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Especially because of who I am. I am going to sit there and watch Michael Phelps break my record anonymously?

That’s almost demeaning to me. It is not almost—it is. Spitz has stated that he has no hard feelings towards Phelps. He is, however, unhappy that he was not invited to the Summer Olympics.

As a result, Spitz refused to attend the games.

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Some of them are dead. But they invited the other ones to go to the Olympics, but not me,” he said. It’s about time that somebody else takes the throne.

And I’m very happy for him. I really, truly am I was working with a corporate sponsor who elected not to bring their US contingent over to China, and they piled on more work for me here in the United States, which was great.

So I wasn’t able to get to the Olympics and watch Michael in the first couple of days.