| Event: | Swimming |
| Games: | 1972 Summer |
| Venue: | Olympia Schwimmhalle |
| Dates: | 28 August – 4 September 1972 |
| Num Events: | 29 |
| Competitors: | 532 |
| Nations: | 52 |
| Prev: | 1968 |
| Next: | 1976 |
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".[3]
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.[4] 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.
The following events were contested (all pool events were long course, and distances are in metres unless otherwise stated):
100 m, 200 m, 400 m, 800 m (women), 1500 m (men)
100 m, 200 m
100 m, 200 m
100 m, 200 m
200 m, 400 m
4 × 100 m free, 4 × 200 m free (men); 4 × 100 m medley
532 swimmers from 52 nations competed.[1]
| 100 m freestyle | 51.22 (WR) | 51.65 | 51.77 | ||||
| 200 m freestyle | 1:52.78 (WR) | 1:53.73 | 1:53.99 | ||||
| 400 m freestyle | 4:00.27 (OR) | 4:01.94 | 4:02.64 | ||||
| 1500 m freestyle | 15:52.58 (WR) | 15:58.48 | 16:09.25 | ||||
| 100 m backstroke | 56.58 (OR) | 57.70 | 58.35 | ||||
| 200 m backstroke | 2:02.82 (WR) | 2:04.09 | 2:04.33 | ||||
| 100 m breaststroke | 1:04.94 (WR) | 1:05.43 | 1:05.61 | ||||
| 200 m breaststroke | 2:21.55 (WR) | 2:23.67 | 2:23.88 | ||||
| 100 m butterfly | 54.27 (WR) | 55.56 | 55.74 | ||||
| 200 m butterfly | 2:00.70 (WR) | 2:02.86 | 2:03.23 | ||||
| 200 m individual medley | 2:07.17 (WR) | 2:08.37 | 2:08.45 | ||||
| 400 m individual medley | 4:31.98 (OR) | 4:31.98 (OR) | 4:32.70 | ||||
| 4 × 100 m freestyle relay | 3:26.42 (WR) | 3:29.72 | 3:32.42 | ||||
| 4 × 200 m freestyle relay | John Kinsella Fred Tyler Steve Genter Mark Spitz | 7:35.78 (WR) | 7:41.69 | 7:45.76 | |||
| 4 × 100 m medley relay | 3:48.16 (WR) | Roland Matthes Klaus Katzur Hartmut Flöckner Lutz Unger | 3:52.26 | 3:53.26 |
| 100 m freestyle | 58.59 (OR) | 59.02 | 59.06 | ||||
| 200 m freestyle | 2:03.56 (WR) | 2:04.33 | 2:04.92 | ||||
| 400 m freestyle | 4:19.04 (WR) | 4:22.44 | 4:23.11 | ||||
| 800 m freestyle | 8:53.68 (WR) | 8:56.39 | 8:57.46 | ||||
| 100 m backstroke | 1:05.78 (OR) | 1:06.26 | 1:06.34 | ||||
| 200 m backstroke | 2:19.19 (WR) | 2:20.38 | 2:23.22 | ||||
| 100 m breaststroke | 1:13.58 (WR) | 1:14.99 | 1:15.73 | ||||
| 200 m breaststroke | 2:41.05 (OR) | 2:42.05 | 2:42.36 | ||||
| 100 m butterfly | 1:03.34 (WR) | 1:03.61 | 1:03.73 | ||||
| 200 m butterfly | 2:15.57 (WR) | 2:16.34 | 2:16.74 | ||||
| 200 m individual medley | 2:23.07 (WR) | 2:23.59 | 2:24.06 | ||||
| 400 m individual medley | 5:02.97 (WR) | 5:03.57 | 5:03.99 | ||||
| 4 × 100 m freestyle relay | 3:55.19 (WR) | 3:55.55 | 3:57.93 | ||||
| 4 × 100 m medley relay | 4:20.75 (WR) | Christine Herbst Renate Vogel Roswitha Beier Kornelia Ender | 4:24.91 | 4:26.46 |
Some of the Olympic medalists in Munich: