How Many Olympic Medals did Mark Spitz of the USA Win?

Mark Spitz was born in February 1950. At age two Marks Spitz’s family moved to Hawaii and Mark swam every day. A few years later, the family moved back to California where Mark started to compete in local swimming events. Mark started training early and soon met Sherm Chavoor who would mentor Mark and several other Olympic medalists. Before age 10, Mark Spitz already held 17 national age-group records and one world record.

From 1964 to 1968, Mark trained with George Haines at Santa Clara High School. In 1966 at age 16, Mark won the first of his 24 AAU championship titles. The following year in 1967, Mark set his first world record in the 400-meter freestyle. Mark Spitz was now a nationally known swimming champion.

In 1965, Mark entered the Maccabiah Games, which was his first international competition in Tel Aviv, and Mark won four gold medals at the games. Mark in 1967 entered the Pan American Games and set a world record by winning five gold medals. Spitz’s record was broken by Brazilian swimmer Thiago Pereira winning six gold medals at the 2007 games.

By the time, Mark Spitz entered the 1968 summer Olympic Games in Mexico City he held 10 world records. Spitz boasted that he would win six gold medals at the games. Mark’s two team gold medals were far short of the six gold medals he predicted he would win. Mark Spitz was beaten by fellow American Doug Russell in the 100-meter butterfly. Spitz previously held the world record for the 100-meter butterfly. Mark had beaten Russell 10 ten times in the 100-meter butterfly, in previous events. Spitz regained the world record again in October of 1967.

Mark Spitz was disappointed in his performance at the 1968 games. Mark decided to enter Indiana University, so he could train with the legendary coach Doc Counsilman. While, at the university Spitz won eight individual NCAA titles. In 1971, Mark Spitz won the James E. Sullivan award as the top amateur athlete in the United States.

In 1972, Spitz entered the Summer Olympics in Munich West Germany. Spitz was hoping to achieve the six gold medals he had boasted about during the 1968 games. Spitz was entered in seven swimming events and even if he won six gold medals he felt that would be a failure. Mark was reluctant to swim the 100-meter freestyle but won it by half a stroke. He won seven gold medals setting a world record in all seven events.

Spitz is one of five Olympians to have won nine or more career gold medals. Mark Spitz has won nine Olympic gold medals. The only other Olympic swimmer to win more than nine is Michael Phelps with 14 Olympic gold medals. Spitz’s record of seven gold medals won at a single Olympic game was beaten by Phelps in 2008 at the Beijing Olympic Games. Michael Phelps won eight gold medals at the games.

Mark Spitz’s has won a total of nine Olympic gold medals seven at the Munich games and two at the Mexico City games. At the 1972, Munich games Mark also won one silver and one bronze medal. Spitz also has won five gold medals at the Pan American Games in 1967 and 10 gold medals at the Maccabiah Games in 1965 and 1969.

After the Munich Olympics, Mark Spitz retired from swimming competition at age 22. Mark Spitz is ranked in the top fifty of all time greatest athletes the only aquatic athlete in the ranking.