PersonJewish Eligibility — Verified by JWR

Mark Spitz

Jewish American swimmer who won seven gold medals at the Munich 1972 Summer Olympics and 11 Olympic medals across his career.

United States

John Mathew Smith / celebrity-photos.com / Wikimedia CommonsSourceCC BY-SA 2.0

Biography

Mark Andrew Spitz was born in Modesto, California, on 10 February 1950. He represented the United States at the 1968 and 1972 Olympic Games. At Munich 1972 he won seven gold medals in seven events, each in world-record time, completing a career total of 11 Olympic medals. Jewish American swimmer who won seven gold medals at the Munich 1972 Summer Olympics and 11 Olympic medals across his career. In Jewish World Records, Mark Spitz is connected to the record “Most Olympic Gold Medals Won by a Jewish Male Athlete,” based on the stored achievement of 9 Olympic gold medals. Mark Spitz represented the United States at the 1968 Mexico City and 1972 Munich Olympic Games. He won two Olympic gold medals in 1968 and seven in 1972, reaching a career total of nine on 4 September 1972.

Public links

Records held by Mark Spitz

Mark Spitz at swimming championships in Freiburg, July 1980

JWR VerifiedFounding Record

Sports · Olympic GamesMost

Most Olympic Medals Won by a Jewish Man

Record holder

Mark Spitz

Record value

11 Olympic medals

Mark Spitz won 11 Olympic medals across Mexico City 1968 and Munich 1972, and the record page now identifies the events behind every medal. In 1968 he won gold in the 4×100 m freestyle relay and 4×200 m freestyle relay, silver in the 100 m butterfly and bronze in the 100 m freestyle. In Munich in 1972 he won seven gold medals—in the 100 m and 200 m freestyle, 100 m and 200 m butterfly, 4×100 m freestyle relay, 4×200 m freestyle relay and 4×100 m medley relay—setting world records in all seven winning events. His career total is nine gold, one silver and one bronze.

Country represented: United States
Achievement locations: Mexico City, Mexico (1968); Munich, West Germany (1972)
Achievement date: 4 September 1972

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Mark Spitz
Maria Gorokhovskaya

JWR VerifiedFounding Record

Sports / Summer Olympic Gamesmost / joint holders

Most Medals Won at a Single Summer Olympics by a Jewish Athlete

Record holder

Mark Spitz&Maria Gorokhovskaya

Record value

7 medals at one Summer Olympics each — Mark Spitz and Maria Gorokhovskaya

Mark Spitz and Maria Gorokhovskaya share the record for the most medals won at a single Summer Olympics by a Jewish athlete, with a total of "7 medals at one Summer Olympics each". Gorokhovskaya, a gymnast representing the Soviet Union, achieved her seven-medal haul at the Helsinki 1952 Games. Her performance included two gold medals, in the individual all-around and team events, and five silver medals across floor exercise, vault, uneven bars, balance beam, and team portable apparatus. This feat is confirmed by Guinness World Records.

Country represented: United States & Soviet Union

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JWR VerifiedFounding Record

Sports · Olympic GamesMost

Most Olympic Gold Medals Won by a Jewish Athlete

Record holder

Mark Spitz

Record value

9 Olympic gold medals

American swimmer Mark Spitz holds the record for the most Olympic gold medals won by a Jewish athlete, with a career total of '9 Olympic gold medals'. His achievement was secured across two Summer Olympic Games and was completed on 4 September 1972. Two of his gold medals came from relay events at the 1968 Games in Mexico City, followed by a historic seven gold medals at the 1972 Games in Munich, West Germany. Notably, every one of Spitz's seven winning performances in Munich set a new world record.

Country represented: United States
Achievement locations: Mexico City, Mexico (1968); Munich, West Germany (1972)
Achievement date: 4 September 1972

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