Time flies but not as fast as the fly time of a man 65 years ago. Until Michael Phelps   thundered to eight golds at Beijing 2008, Spitz was considered the undisputed 'greatest' swimmer in history, the winningest athlete all-time in any Olympic sport at one Games, the scope of his achievement stunning for its time and towering to this day, 43 years on. ago today. Mark Spitz, he of the seven gold medals, all won in world records, at the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich.

Spitz, 65, an official retirement age in many nations around the world. The American swimmer stopped racing as an elite athlete gunning for gold after his heyday in Munich but a man of his stature never retires, his tally, his times, their meaning then and now eternal. See complete swimvortex article here: