Photos: Your Favorite Summer Olympian
Recall the athletes who capture our imaginations every four years and let us know who is your favorite
- By Channing Holman, Kat J. McAlpine, Jeanie Riess, K. Annabelle Smith and Ayesha Venkataraman
- Smithsonian.com, August 01, 2012
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(© Bettmann/CORBIS)
Mark Spitz, Swimming
Mark Spitz, or “Mark the Shark,” as he came to be known, broke all records when he won an astonishing seven gold medals at the 1972 Olympics in Munich, and he pulled it off while donning a fashion-forward, thick mustache. Add this feat (which went unbeaten for 36 years) to his 33 prior world records in swimming, all attained in a seven-year span from 1965 to 1972. After retiring from swimming at 22, Spitz appeared in a number of commercials, narrated a critically acclaimed Hungarian documentary produced by Quentin Tarantino and currently lends his talents as a motivational speaker. --AV
Vote for your favorite now!
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Comments (1)
Undoubtedly, the most fun "sport" was reviewing these 24 Greatest Olympians, then trying to pick a favorite! Thanks Smithsonian for a thorough look at OUR Greatest Athletes of All Time. And now I have to go back & change my vote, again, to The Dream Team!!! Shirley J. Pringle, Miami, FL USA
Posted by Shirley Pringle on August 2,2012 | 10:09 AM