Munich Olympics
In spite of the terrorist attacks against the Israeli athletes, some of the most spectacular events at the 1972 Summer Olympics were in swimming, where Mark Spitz won seven Olympic titles with seven world records. On Aug 29, 1972, Tyler finished 5th in finals of 200 meter freestyle, missing Indiana teammate Mark Spitz' world record time by 2.18 seconds. On August 31, 1972, the American 4x200 meter freestyle relay of John Kinsella, Fred Tyler, Steve Genter and Mark Spitz set a World & Olympic record at 7:35:78, eclipsing the record set earlier that day by the USA team in the semifinal heat, and winning the Olympic gold medal. The victory was all the more remarkable in that Spitz swam in the 4x200 relay only one hour after his world record victory in the 100 meter butterfly, and Genter had been released from the hospital only a few days before, following surgery for a collapsed lung.
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