Read Ebook {PDF EPUB} The 50 Meter Jungle; How Olympic Gold Medal Swimmers Are Made by Sherman Chavoor Swim Bits – How I Came to Appreciate Mark Spitz — Part 5 Munich, Jager and Afib 2. Most of us remember that Mark Spitz won seven gold medals with seven world records at the 1972 Munich Olympics. What most don’t know is that Spitz almost did not swim his first event, the 200 butterfly. After the Mexico City Olympics four years earlier when he finished last in the final of the 200 fly, he hated the event. He didn’t swim it in college. Even when he decided to go for the Munich Games, he didn’t want to swim the 200 fly, which would be the first of seven swims. Spitz, however, had committed to Munich and had returned to Sacramento and Arden Hills Swim Club, coached by Sherm Chavoor, to train for the Olympics. This is all told in Chavoor’s book, “The Fifty Meter Jungle,” a most aptly named book for swimming at the Olympic level. Chavoor was subtle. He didn’t argue with Spitz about the 200 fly. He merely had workouts where everyone, Spitz, Mike Burton and the rest, swam repeat 200 flies long course. Eventually Spitz came around, and said that he would swim the 200 fly at the Santa Clara meet that summer and consider it for Munich if he hit a certain time. Of course, Spitz did so, and the rest is history. After Munich Spitz had a dilemma. He had always said he wanted to be a dentist, but Hollywood and personal appearances beckoned. He appeared on TV with Bob Hope and other celebrities, and it quickly became apparent that his water performances were better. However, it has been estimated that Spitz made over $7 million dollars after 1972, through public appearances and advertisements. His poster alone with all of the gold medals around his neck was immensely successful. Spitz did keep up as a swimmer. In 1990 he was tested in a flume at Colorado Springs along with a bunch of other Olympic swimmers and was found more efficient in the water than any of them. It was then he thought about a come-back at 41 for the 1992 Olympics. He was encouraged by an offer to compete in a 50 meter fly against a current world class swimmer, Tom Jager, for $10,000, and it would be televised. On screen the difference in size between Jager and Spitz was striking. Jager was 6’2’, weighing close to 200 pounds, while Spitz was 6’ and maybe 180. In 20 years much more intensive training and weights created a different swimmer. Spitz also had the handicap of still using an old style start, relatively flat and no porpoise action into the water. In the actual race Jager was a half body length ahead at the start and won convincingly, 24.92 to 26.70 for Spitz. Spitz had gone out in 25.38 when he won the 100 fly at Munich. Spitz later had a time trial for the 100 meter fly and only went a 58.03. The 1992 Olympic dream was over. When I thought of this effort, though, I eventually recognized that in 1992 those times were marvelously fast for a 41 year old. I gave Spitz credit for even trying to make the 1992 Olympics at 42. Swimming had changed so much since Munich. Since then Spitz has been a developer in southern California and semi-retired. He graciously congratulated Michael Phelps when Phelps won eight golds in Beijing. Just recently Spitz was diagnosed with atrial fibrillation (Afib), and he has become a spokesperson for finding other older athletes who may have the same problem. Over the years it has become obvious that Mark Spitz became the face of US Swimming after 1972. He was the one with whom swimmers were compared. Until Phelps, no one thought anyone else would win seven or more gold medals in an Olympics. Spitz set the standard for others to shoot for. In addition, Spitz has become a genial example of how to carry oneself after such Olympic glories. Even in his defeat by Jager he was gracious and complimentary. I can see in Phelps the same qualities. But Mark Spitiz was first. Why Olympic Swimmers Win the Most Medals. Michael Phelps may collect gold medals like they’re Brazilian centavos, but he’s not the only swimmer dominating the all-time medal tally. While no other Olympian has won more medals than Phelps, his fellow swimmers account for eight of the top 10 spots on the list of America’s most- decorated Summer Olympians. The reason is simple: U.S. swimming has long been strong and the sport has ample opportunity to win medals. Whereas a sport like basketball offers only one one set of medals for men’s and women’s teams, swimming will give away 102 medals to men and women in Rio. Track and field (or athletics, in official Olympics parlance) offers more, at 141, but swimmers tend to be more versatile than track athletes, who are either sprinters or long distance runners but not both. Swimmers learn all four strokes and tend to be comfortable with at least a couple, which means they’re entering more events. They can also compete in different distances, and let’s not forget the relays. If you throw in more than one appearance at the Olympics, the numbers start to add up. Oh, and any swimmer who competes on a medal-winning relay team––even if they only swim in a preliminary heat and the not in the final––also gets some hardware. The same is true in track relays, but again, swimmers are more likely to be racing in wider variety of events. Globally, however, gymnasts dominate the top 10 all-time medal winners. Again, it’s because a talented gymnast has a chance to win as many as eight medals for men and six for women. Gymnasts compete in not only the team and individual all-around competition, but in event finals as well; men compete on six apparatus while women compete on four. Cookie Consent and Choices. NPR’s sites use cookies, similar tracking and storage technologies, and information about the device you use to access our sites (together, “cookies”) to enhance your viewing, listening and user experience, personalize content, personalize messages from NPR’s sponsors, provide social media features, and analyze NPR’s traffic. This information is shared with social media, sponsorship, analytics, and other vendors or service providers. See details. You may click on “ Your Choices ” below to learn about and use cookie management tools to limit use of cookies when you visit NPR’s sites. You can adjust your cookie choices in those tools at any time. If you click “ Agree and Continue ” below, you acknowledge that your cookie choices in those tools will be respected and that you otherwise agree to the use of cookies on NPR’s sites. 10 Things You Didn’t Know About Mark Spitz. Michael Andrew was ahead of the World Record pace in the 200 IM at the 150-meter mark in both prelims and semifinals. In semifinals, he missed it by 1.26. Coach Titley Discusses Penny Oleksiak’s Freestyle Focus Heading In Tokyo. Penny Oleksiak won a silver medal in the 100 butterfly in Rio but 5 years later has decided not to enter in the event at Olympic Trials. Pre-Trials Press: Markus Thormeyer Talks Mental Toughness In Abnormal OLY Year. Thormeyer will be swimming for Canada this summer at the Olympics and spoke about what it was like to have Olympic Trials re-scheduled 3 times. Viquerat Provides Answer To France’s Breaststroke Hole With OLY Qualification. Antoine Viquerat and Maxime Grousset became France’s newest 2021 Olympians on day 4 of the French Elite Swimming Championships. How To Watch / All The Links You Need For The 2021 Canadian Olympic Trials. Check out all the links you need for the upcoming 2021 Canadian Olympic Swimming Trials which will be held in Toronto, Ontario from June 19 - 23. 4 Storylines To Watch At The 2021 Canadian Olympic Trials. From up-and-coming juniors to a returning 2012 Olympic medalist, here are 4 storylines to watch at the 2021 Canadian Olympic Trials. Tokyo 2020 Round-Up: IOC Releases Third Edition of Athlete’s Playbook. The International Olympic Committee released their final set of rules and guidelines for athletes to follow prior to, and while at, the Olympic Games. 2021 French Olympic Trials: Day 4 Finals Live Recap. Follow along live with all the action on the fourth day of swimming at the 2021 French Olympic Trials in Chartres, France. by Olivier Poirier-Leroy 55. Olivier Poirier-Leroy is a former national level swimmer based out of Victoria, BC. In feeding his passion for swimming, he has developed YourSwimBook, a powerful log book and goal setting guide made specifically for swimmers. Sign up for the YourSwimBook newsletter (free) and get weekly motivational tips by clicking here. Mark Spitz may be synonymous amongst this generation as the guy who held “that record” before Michael Phelps came along, but for a generation Spitz was more than just the winningest Olympian of all time, he was also the first swimmer to make a transition into the world that is generally reserved for the major sports in the USA – the land of celebrities! Where Johnny Weissmuller laid the tracks – the 100m freestyle champion won 6 Olympic titles in the 1920’s and became a Hollywood star in the 30’s and 40’s – Spitz ran off with it.