Mark Spitz

Greatest Jewish Olympian
by the Encyclopedia Judaica (CD-ROM Edition)

SPITZ, MARK (1950- ), U.S. Olympic champion. Spitz learned to swim at six and swam in competitions at ten. At 15 he went to Israel for the Maccabiah games with the United States team. There, in his first international competition, he won four gold medals. Next he set his sites on the 1968 Olympic Games in Mexico City, where much was expected of him. However, a series of unfortunate incidents, including some of an anti-Semitic nature, dealt his Olympic chances a blow. He ended up with only two gold medals in the relays, a silver medal in the 100-meter butterfly and a bronze medal in the 100-meter freestyle-an outstanding feat by most standards but not for someone who many considered the greatest all-round swimmer in history.

Between the 1968 and 1972 Olympic Games Spitz won numerous national and collegiate titles, set many world records, and in 1971 became the first Jewish winner of the AAU's James E. Sullivan Award as his nation's outstanding amateur athlete. He completed his competitive swimming career with an unprecedented seven gold medals in the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich. His victories, all world records, were in the 100- and 200-meter freestyle, the 100- and 200-meter butterfly events and all the relays.

Spitz is a member of the Swimming Hall of Fame and the International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame.

[Jesse Harold Silver]

The Encyclopedia Judaica CD-ROM contains all the text of the original 16 Keter volumes, the eight yearbooks and the two Ten-Year update volumes. In addition it includes many statistical updates and an interactive time-line. The CD has over 2500 pictures, 100 maps, slideshows, audio, and fifteen minutes of video.