50 Stunning Olympic moments: Mark Spitz - in pictures

US swimmer Mark Spitz had adored the water since his early childhood in Hawaii. An age group world record holder by the age of ten and one of the country's finest teenage swimmers, he arrived at the 1972 Olympics hoping to fulfil his immense talent Photograph: AFP/Getty Images

Four years earlier at the 1968 Games in Mexico City he had won only two team gold medals - a disappointing return by his standards. But the story was very different in 1972. Spitz claimed seven gold medals and broke seven world records in the process (100m freestyle, 200m freestyle, 100m butterfly, 200m butterfly, 4×100m freestyle relay, 4x200m freestyle relay and 4×100m medley relay) Photograph: Tony Duffy/Getty Images

Spitz was reluctant to swim the seventh race - the 100m freestyle - fearing that he would fail to win and would therefore tarnish his immaculate record. But his fears were unfounded and he emerged from the pool a hero Photograph: AFP/Getty Images

No one had ever claimed such a haul of gold medals in a single Games. And despite his immediate retirement, he remains one of the five most decorated Olympians of all time Photograph: AFP/Getty Images

This photograph of Spitz adorned with his medals, which was used as the front cover of Sports Illustrated, became one of the most famous Olympic images. When Michael Phelps surpassed Spitz's achievement by winning eight gold medals in the pool in Beijing in 2008, he too posed for a photograph in similar fashion Photograph: Terry O'Neill/Getty