Highlights: Mark Spitz won an Olympic record seven gold medals in the pool at the 1972 Munich Games. Spitz took gold in the 100m and 200m freestyle, 100m and 200m butterfly and all three men's relay events having already claimed two gold, a silver and a bronze at the 1968 Olympics. Also at the Mexico competition, USA female swimmer Debbie Meyer became the first swimmer ever to win three individual gold medals at the one Olympics when she took out the 200m, 400m and 800m freestyle trifecta. Legendary track competitor Ray Ewry, who contracted polio and was confined to a wheelchair as a boy, was unbeaten in Olympic competition and won 10 gold medals from 1900 to 1908 [two of those were won at the 1906 Games which are not recognised by the IOC]. He won gold medals in the standing long, high and triple jump events in 1900 and 1904 and the standing long and high jumps in 1906 and 1908. The standing triple jump was dropped from the Olympic program in 1908 and the standing long and high jumps likewise in 1912. |
United States 
