On September 4, 1972, Mark Spitz exited the pool for the final time at the Olympic Games in Munich. He had just handled the butterfly leg of the United States’ 400-meter medley relay, which prevailed ...
Swimmer Mark Spitz, then an 18-year-old high school graduate from Santa Clara, Calif., returned from the 1968 Olympics with two gold medals, one silver and one bronze—and a feeling of failure. Goaded ...