Swimming at the 1972 Summer Olympics

Swimming
at the Games of the XX Olympiad
Olympia Schwimmhalle
VenueOlympia Schwimmhalle
Dates28 August – 4 September 1972
No. of events29
Competitors532 from 52 nations

The 1972 Summer Olympics were held in Munich, West Germany, 29 events in swimming were contested. There was a total of 532 participants from 52 countries competing.[1][2]

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" [1].

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.[3] 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):

Participating nations

532 swimmers from 52 nations competed.[1]

Medal table

RankNationGoldSilverBronzeTotal
1 United States (USA)17141243
2 Australia (AUS)62210
3 East Germany (GDR)2529
4 Japan (JPN)2013
5 Sweden (SWE)2002
6 Soviet Union (URS)0235
7 Canada (CAN)0224
8 West Germany (FRG)0134
9 Hungary (HUN)0123
 Italy (ITA)0123
11 Great Britain (GBR)0101
Totals (11 entries)29292987

Results

Men's events

Games Gold Silver 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 Silver 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:

References

  1. ^ a b "Swimming at the 1972 Munich Summer Games". Sports Reference. Archived from the original on 17 April 2020. Retrieved 3 October 2016.
  2. ^ "Olympedia – Swimming at the 1972 Summer Olympics". www.olympedia.org. Retrieved 17 December 2023.
  3. ^ "Happy 65th To Shane Gould, Still The Only Swim Sorority Champ To Claim Five Solo Medals In The Olympic Pool At One Games". State of Swimming. Retrieved 21 August 2016.
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