Mark Spitz

Mark Spitz's 7 gold medals at the 1972 Munich Olympics, all in world record time, stood as the greatest single-Games performance for 36 years until Michael Phelps surpassed it in 2008. Across his career, Spitz won 9 Olympic gold medals total and set 33 world records. His 7 golds at one Olympics remain the second-most ever, and he was named World Swimmer of the Year in 1969 and 1971. Spitz is also faster than the typical rival of his era, as all 7 of his 1972 wins broke the existing world record.