# Swimming at the 1972 Summer Olympics

The 1972 Summer Olympics were held in Munich, West Germany. 29 events in swimming were contested. There were a total of 532 participants from 52 countries competing.
Perhaps the most spectacular athletic events were in swimming. Mark Spitz had a remarkable run, competing in seven events, winning seven Olympic titles and setting seven world records. In 2008, Michael Phelps matched Spitz's feat of setting seven world records in a single Olympics. According to the official Olympic website, "He took part in the 4 × 200 m one hour after his final in the 100 m butterfly. As for the 200 m freestyle gold, it was his third medal in three days".
On the women's side of the competition, Shane Gould of Australia won five medals. She won the 200 m and 400 m freestyle as well as the 200 m individual medley, each with a new world-record time. In addition, she won the silver and the bronze in the 800 m and 100 m freestyle, respectively. In 2022, Gould remains the only woman in history to have claimed five medals in solo events in swimming at a single Olympic Games. Another 15-years-old, American Sandy Neilson, won three gold medals.
The Olympic record was broken at least once in all 29 events. In 20 of those events, a new world record was set.

## Events

The following events were contested (all pool events were long course, and distances are in metres unless otherwise stated):
* Freestyle: 100 m, 200 m, 400 m, 800 m (women), 1500 m (men)
* Backstroke: 100 m, 200 m
* Breaststroke: 100 m, 200 m
* Butterfly: 100 m, 200 m
* Individual Medley: 200 m, 400 m
* Relays: 4 × 100 m free, 4 × 200 m free (men); 4 × 100 m medley

## Participating nations

532 swimmers from 52 nations competed.
* Argentina (4)
* Australia (24)
* Austria (2)
* Belgium (4)
* Brazil (12)
* Bulgaria (3)
* Cambodia (4)
* Canada (38)
* Chinese Taipei (3)
* Colombia (4)
* Czechoslovakia (3)
* Denmark (6)
* East Germany (37)
* Ecuador (1)
* Egypt (2)
* El Salvador (7)
* Finland (1)
* France (18)
* Great Britain (36)
* Greece (5)
* Hong Kong (2)
* Hungary (16)
* Iceland (4)
* Ireland (7)
* Israel (1)
* Italy (24)
* Jamaica (1)
* Japan (15)
* Kuwait (2)
* Lebanon (2)
* Malaysia (2)
* Mexico (22)
* Netherlands (19)
* New Zealand (6)
* Norway (4)
* Peru (3)
* Philippines (7)
* Poland (5)
* Romania (3)
* Singapore (3)
* South Korea (1)
* Soviet Union (26)
* Spain (9)
* Sweden (15)
* Switzerland (10)
* Trinidad and Tobago (1)
* Turkey (2)
* United States (51)
* Uruguay (2)
* Venezuela (4)
* West Germany (44)
* Yugoslavia (5)

## Medal table

| Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
| 1 | United States (USA) | 17 | 14 | 12 | 43 |
| 2 | Australia (AUS) | 6 | 2 | 2 | 10 |
| 3 | East Germany (GDR) | 2 | 5 | 2 | 9 |
| 4 | Japan (JPN) | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| 5 | Sweden (SWE) | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 6 | Soviet Union (URS) | 0 | 2 | 3 | 5 |
| 7 | Canada (CAN) | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 |
| 8 | West Germany (FRG) | 0 | 1 | 3 | 4 |
| 9 | Hungary (HUN) | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| 9 | Italy (ITA) | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| 11 | Great Britain (GBR) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Totals (11 entries) | Totals (11 entries) | 29 | 29 | 29 | 87 |

## Results
### Men's events

| Games | Gold | Gold | Silver | Silver | Bronze | Bronze |
| 100 m freestyle details | Mark Spitz United States | 51.22 (WR) | Jerry Heidenreich United States | 51.65 | Vladimir Bure Soviet Union | 51.77 |
| 200 m freestyle details | Mark Spitz United States | 1:52.78 (WR) | Steve Genter United States | 1:53.73 | Werner Lampe West Germany | 1:53.99 |
| 400 m freestyle details | Brad Cooper Australia | 4:00.27 (OR) | Steve Genter United States | 4:01.94 | Tom McBreen United States | 4:02.64 |
| 1500 m freestyle details | Mike Burton United States | 15:52.58 (WR) | Graham Windeatt Australia | 15:58.48 | Doug Northway United States | 16:09.25 |
| 100 m backstroke details | Roland Matthes East Germany | 56.58 (OR) | Mike Stamm United States | 57.70 | John Murphy United States | 58.35 |
| 200 m backstroke details | Roland Matthes East Germany | 2:02.82 (WR) | Mike Stamm United States | 2:04.09 | Mitch Ivey United States | 2:04.33 |
| 100 m breaststroke details | Nobutaka Taguchi Japan | 1:04.94 (WR) | Tom Bruce United States | 1:05.43 | John Hencken United States | 1:05.61 |
| 200 m breaststroke details | John Hencken United States | 2:21.55 (WR) | David Wilkie Great Britain | 2:23.67 | Nobutaka Taguchi Japan | 2:23.88 |
| 100 m butterfly details | Mark Spitz United States | 54.27 (WR) | Bruce Robertson Canada | 55.56 | Jerry Heidenreich United States | 55.74 |
| 200 m butterfly details | Mark Spitz United States | 2:00.70 (WR) | Gary Hall, Sr. United States | 2:02.86 | Robin Backhaus United States | 2:03.23 |
| 200 m individual medley details | Gunnar Larsson Sweden | 2:07.17 (WR) | Tim McKee United States | 2:08.37 | Steve Furniss United States | 2:08.45 |
| 400 m individual medley details | Gunnar Larsson Sweden | 4:31.98 (OR) | Tim McKee United States | 4:31.98 (OR) | András Hargitay Hungary | 4:32.70 |
| 4 × 100 m freestyle relay details | United States (USA) David Edgar John Murphy Jerry Heidenreich Mark Spitz | 3:26.42 (WR) | Soviet Union (URS) Vladimir Bure Viktor Mazanov Viktor Aboimov Igor Grivennikov | 3:29.72 | East Germany (GDR) Roland Matthes Wilfried Hartung Peter Bruch Lutz Unger | 3:32.42 |
| 4 × 200 m freestyle relay details | United States (USA) John Kinsella Fred Tyler Steve Genter Mark Spitz | 7:35.78 (WR) | West Germany (FRG) Klaus Steinbach Werner Lampe Hans Vosseler Hans Fassnacht | 7:41.69 | Soviet Union (URS) Igor Grivennikov Viktor Mazanov Georgi Kulikov Vladimir Bure | 7:45.76 |
| 4 × 100 m medley relay details | United States (USA) Mike Stamm Tom Bruce Mark Spitz Jerry Heidenreich | 3:48.16 (WR) | East Germany (GDR) Roland Matthes Klaus Katzur Hartmut Flöckner Lutz Unger | 3:52.26 | Canada (CAN) Erik Fish William Mahony Bruce Robertson Robert Kasting | 3:53.26 |

### Women's events

| Games | Gold | Gold | Silver | Silver | Bronze | Bronze |
| 100 m freestyle details | Sandy Neilson United States | 58.59 (OR) | Shirley Babashoff United States | 59.02 | Shane Gould Australia | 59.06 |
| 200 m freestyle details | Shane Gould Australia | 2:03.56 (WR) | Shirley Babashoff United States | 2:04.33 | Keena Rothhammer United States | 2:04.92 |
| 400 m freestyle details | Shane Gould Australia | 4:19.04 (WR) | Novella Calligaris Italy | 4:22.44 | Gudrun Wegner East Germany | 4:23.11 |
| 800 m freestyle details | Keena Rothhammer United States | 8:53.68 (WR) | Shane Gould Australia | 8:56.39 | Novella Calligaris Italy | 8:57.46 |
| 100 m backstroke details | Melissa Belote United States | 1:05.78 (OR) | Andrea Gyarmati Hungary | 1:06.26 | Susie Atwood United States | 1:06.34 |
| 200 m backstroke details | Melissa Belote United States | 2:19.19 (WR) | Susie Atwood United States | 2:20.38 | Donna Gurr Canada | 2:23.22 |
| 100 m breaststroke details | Cathy Carr United States | 1:13.58 (WR) | Galina Prozumenshchikova Soviet Union | 1:14.99 | Beverley Whitfield Australia | 1:15.73 |
| 200 m breaststroke details | Beverley Whitfield Australia | 2:41.05 (OR) | Dana Schoenfield United States | 2:42.05 | Galina Prozumenshchikova Soviet Union | 2:42.36 |
| 100 m butterfly details | Mayumi Aoki Japan | 1:03.34 (WR) | Roswitha Beier East Germany | 1:03.61 | Andrea Gyarmati Hungary | 1:03.73 |
| 200 m butterfly details | Karen Moe United States | 2:15.57 (WR) | Lynn Colella United States | 2:16.34 | Ellie Daniel United States | 2:16.74 |
| 200 m individual medley details | Shane Gould Australia | 2:23.07 (WR) | Kornelia Ender East Germany | 2:23.59 | Lynn Vidali United States | 2:24.06 |
| 400 m individual medley details | Gail Neall Australia | 5:02.97 (WR) | Leslie Cliff Canada | 5:03.57 | Novella Calligaris Italy | 5:03.99 |
| 4 × 100 m freestyle relay details | United States (USA) Shirley Babashoff Jane Barkman Jenny Kemp Sandy Neilson | 3:55.19 (WR) | East Germany (GDR) Andrea Eife Kornelia Ender Elke Sehmisch Gabriele Wetzko | 3:55.55 | West Germany (FRG) Gudrun Beckmann Heidemarie Reineck Angela Steinbach Jutta Weber | 3:57.93 |
| 4 × 100 m medley relay details | United States (USA) Melissa Belote Cathy Carr Deena Deardurff Sandy Neilson | 4:20.75 (WR) | East Germany (GDR) Christine Herbst Renate Vogel Roswitha Beier Kornelia Ender | 4:24.91 | West Germany (FRG) Gudrun Beckmann Vreni Eberle Silke Pielen Heidemarie Reineck | 4:26.46 |

## Gallery of the medalists

Some of the Olympic medalists in Munich:
* Mark Spitz, winner of the 100-metre freestyle, 200-metre freestyle, 100-metre butterfly, 200-metre butterfly, 4 × 100-metre freestyle relay, 4 × 200-metre freestyle relay, and 4 × 100-metre medley relay.
* Mike Burton, winner of the 1500-metre freestyle.
* Gunnar Larsson, winner of the 200-metre individual medley and 400-metre individual medley.
* Shane Gould, winner of the 200-metre freestyle, 400-metre freestyle, and 200-metre individual medley.
* John Hencken, winner of the 200-metre breaststroke.
* Brad Cooper, winner of the 400-metre freestyle.
* Roland Matthes, winner of the 100-metre backstroke and 200-metre backstroke.
* Cathy Carr, winner of the 100-metre breaststroke and 4 × 100-metre medley relay.
* Melissa Belote, winner of the 100-metre backstroke, 200-metre backstroke, and 4 × 100-metre medley relay.