He was an American competitive swimmer who won a total of nine Olympic gold medals, the most ever won by a single athlete at a single Olympics. He set new world records in all seven of the events in which he competed at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, breaking the record in each event. He won a total of eleven Olympic medals, including two bronze medals, which made him the most decorated Olympian of the Munich Games. He also set 35 world records, including 25 individual records. He retired from competition at the age of 22 and is considered one of the greatest swimmers in the history of the sport.
Up next: 1970s quiz continues…