Mark Spitz returns to the scene of his 1972 Olympic triumph in Munich for emotional episode of '72 – A Gathering of Champions' - Watch now
Record-breaking American swimmer Spitz is among the athletes who travelled back to Germany 50 years after Olympic glory, for a documentary series which looks back on the sporting highs and tragic lows of an unforgettable Games.
Mark Spitz was the standout male star of the Olympic Games Munich 1972.
He competed in seven swimming events at Munich 1972 - four individual and three relays - and won seven golds, all in world record times.
It wasn't until Michael Phelps came along 36 years later that Spitz was overtaken as the athlete who had won most gold medals at a single Olympics.
But his story is as much a tale of redemption as one of almost unparalleled excellence.
Now, 50 years since the incredible feat, Spitz returns to the Swimming Hall in Munich for a new documentary. He tells how he feared a repeat of that Mexican failure, and the stories behind his magnificent seven-gold haul.
The episode of '72 – A Gathering of Champions’ from Olympic Channel launched on Thursday (24 August 2022), and is available to stream and watch now on Olympics.com for free and without subscription.
Four years earlier in Mexico City, a somewhat cocky 18-year-old Mark Spitz arrived as the man most likely to dominate in the pool, having already set five world records.
But he flopped badly on the big occasion, failing to win gold and finishing last in the final of his best event, the 200m butterfly.
In 1972, 'Mark the Shark' excelled, winning the men's 100m freestyle, 200m freestyle, 100m butterfly, 200m butterfly individual golds, plus the 4x100m freestyle, 4x200m freestyle, and 4x100m medley relays with his USA teammates. Seven gold medals in one Games. Seven world records.
"I never consciously swam for a world record. I consciously swam to win" - Mark Spitz in new Olympic Channel documentary
72 – A Gathering of Champions
Spitz's story is the second episode of a series which launched in August 2022 to commemorate 50 years since the Olympic Games Munich 1972.
The four-part documentary review of those Olympics features athletes including Olga Korbut - whose story of persistence features in episode one - fellow gymnast Karin Janz, and track runners Kip Keino and Dave Wottle, who produced legendary individual performances. There is also a reunion as long jump champion Heide Rosendahl and Mary Peters return to the track where they contested women's pentathlon glory.
The Games are also remembered for the tragic terror attack which led to the deaths of 11 members of the Israeli team delegation and a local police officer. Race walker Shaul Ladany survived the initial kidnap attempt, and the 86-year-old recalls his memories of the events in an emotive final episode of '72 – A Gathering of Champions’.
Episodes 1 and 2 are available to watch now. Episodes 3 and 4 coming soon.
72 - A Gathering of Champions
Fifty years after the 1972 Olympic Summer Games, eleven Olympic heroes return to Munich, retracing their steps in an emotional, first-person telling of the games that defined them.
Director Jonathan Hock on making '72 - A Gathering of Champions'
The series was produced by Olympic Channel and directed by Emmy-award winner Jonathan Hock who called the project "the filmmaking experience of a lifetime".
"The Munich Olympics were the first great sports event I can remember watching – I can still see in my mind’s eye Dave Wottle’s golf cap, Mark Spitz’s mustache, Kip Keino’s regal stride, Olga Korbut’s smile," Hock shared.
"What a thrill it was to return to the swimming pool with Spitz, to the great stadium with Keino, Wottle, Mary Peters, Heide Rosendahl, Lasse Viren and Borzov, the gymnastics hall with Olga, Ludmilla Tourischeva and Karin Janz. And while the story is about the extraordinary feats – and the great tragedy – of Munich, the film is also about memory itself."
"Watching our heroes cross 50 years of their lives to relive the moments that shaped their lives, at the very site where those moments took place, was the filmmaking experience of a lifetime."