Mark Spitz

During the 1972 Summer Olympic Games in Munich, Germany, Jewish-American swimmer Mark Spitz shot to sporting fame when he captured seven gold medals, a feat unequaled by any other athlete in a single Olympiad until 2008. Spitz also set new world records for each of the events in which he took the gold. Having thus brought his total Olympic medal count up to 11—he had won two gold, one silver, and one bronze in 1968—Spitz retired from competition. What other historic event marked the 1972 Games? More...

Answer: Australian swimmer Shane Gould won three gold medals, a silver, and a bronze medal at the age of 15.
There was also the Munich Massacre in which members of Palestinian organisation Black September took nine Israeli athletes & officials hostage, all of whom were killed.

Mark Spitz recalls 1972 Olympics tragedy

Oddly, despite being a major presence at the 1972 Olympics, Spitz didn’t find out about the tragic events that had unfolded at the Olympic Village, until the rest of the world did.

'Until then, it was like any other day'
“I was taken on Monday night for dinner to a lovely restaurant in Munich by a photographer and writer for Sports Illustrated, both of whom had been close to my career for years,” recalled Spitz.

“I got back to the Village around midnight and went to sleep. I woke up around 8 am, had breakfast and went to the press centre for the usual press conference. That’s when I saw 2,000 or so members of the media asking questions, none about my swimming, when I knew something had happened.

"I was told about the terrible tragedy that had occurred. Until then, it was like any other day.

"Around 10 am, I made my way back to my room in the Village and when I walked in, Willy Brandt, the German chancellor, was there, and my dad showed up 20 minutes later. There was so much confusion, and we didn’t know if there were more terrorists disguised as athletes, and there was concern for my safety. “

It was a day that Spitz will never forget, as his life quickly turned into a real-life spy novel, complete with intrigue and quick getaways.

“At 5 pm, they had me and my coach in the back of a car, lying on the floor with a blanket covering us, taking us from the village to the airport,” said Spitz. “We flew to London, and from there I flew to California. When I landed in Sacramento, I was met by Ronald Reagan and members of the Secret Service. The Secret Service remained with me for the next three months.”

Spitz was named World Swimmer of the Year in 1967, 1971, and 1972. In 1971, and became the first Jewish recipient of the James E. Sullivan Award, given annually to the Amateur Athlete of the Year. In bicentennial year 2000, Sports Illustrated named Spitz No. 33 on its list of the ‘Top 100 Athletes of the 20th Century.

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4291057,00.html