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Can you name the person who won the most Olympic medals in one Olympiad? Give you a hint: he won seven medals, and he’s all wet. You may not have been around to remember it, but Mark Spitz made his big splash at the 1972 Olympics in Munich, becoming the first athlete to win seven medals while setting records in all seven events. ESPN has named him the 33rd best athlete of the century– and with all of the great competitors out there, that says a lot.

Spitz was born on February 10, 1950 in Modesto, California. Soon after his arrival, the family moved to Hawaii, and Mark was taught to swim by his father Arnold. A couple of years later, the Spitz family moved back to California where Mark began training with Sherm Chavoor who would continue to guide him throughout his career. By the age of 10, Mark Spitz held 17 national records for his age-group and one world record. At the age of 14, he and his family moved to Santa Clara, where Mark trained with renowned coach George Haines. By age 16, he won his first AAU title in the 100-meter butterfly stroke. Butterfly is the most difficult stroke to master, since it requires a lot of endurance and skill, but Mark was never one to pass up a challenge, and he began showing his mettle. In fact, the following year, 1967, he secured five gold medals at the Pan-American Games in Winnepeg. By this time, Spitz had set 10 new world records.

All of this success began to go to his head. So much so, that he predicted he would win six gold medals. To his dismay, Spitz only won two gold medals in relay events, and two silver medals in individual events. Although many people would have rested on these laurels, Mark Spitz had disappointed himself, and consequently returned to his training with renewed vigor. He continued his swimming career at Indiana University, where he won eight individual titles in NCAA competitions, and was subsequently awarded the Sullivan Award for the country’s top amateur athlete. He was recognized as the World Swimmer of the Year in 1969, 1971 and 1972.

When the 1972 Olympics in Munich came around, Spitz was ready to compete. His attitude was a bit more humble this time around, and he proved himself beyond anyone’s expectations. He won the 200-meter butterfly, the 200-meter freestyle, the 200-meter butterfly, the 100-meter freestyle as well as three team relay events to total seven gold medals.

Then tragedy struck. At 4:30 in the morning, a number of Palestinian terrorists entered the athlete’s compound and killed two Israeli athletes, and took nine others hostage. This of course cast a shadow on the Olympic games, and struck fear particularly in the hearts of Jewish athletes participating in the events. Spitz had been sleeping nearby and was quite concerned about his safety since he also was Jewish. He soon left for London before the closing ceremonies were completed. Sadly, none of the hostages survived the attempt to rescue them.

After a brief and mediocre attempt at being a movie star, Spitz returned to swimming. In 1989, he began training for the Olympics once again. This time, he did not beat any records, nor did he qualify for the 1992 Olympics, but he did try. If anything can be said about this splashy swimming hero, it is that he had the gumption to try to meet his personal goals. Seven gold medals in one Olympiad are testimony to the success of his efforts. Pushing oneself definitely has its rewards!