In honor of the 20th Maccabiah Games that recently wrapped up in Jerusalem, we want to highlight the incredible career of Jewish swimmer Mark Spitz.
Spitz is a household name in America, after winning numerous Olympic gold medals for the United States. But Spitz’s first appearance on the international stage was at the 7th Maccabiah Games in 1965. Spitz won four gold medals that year, and another six at the 8th Maccabiah Games in 1969.
In between, Spitz collected five gold medals at the Pan-American Games in 1967, creating tremendous expectation for his appearance in the 1968 Olympic Games in Mexico City. Disappointingly, Spitz walked away with just two golds, a silver and a bronze. Nevertheless, in 1971 he won the Sullivan Award as the best amateur athlete in the world.
A year later, Spitz demonstrated why that award was well deserved by winning an astounding seven gold medals...
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