Mark Spitz will try to recapture one-seventh of his Olympic glory 20 years later.
Spitz, who won an all-time record seven gold medals in the 1972 Olympics at Munich, will try to qualify for the 1992 Games at Barcelona in the 100-meter butterfly, according to a published report.Spitz won the gold medal in the 100-meter butterfly in the 1972 Olympics in 54.27 seconds, a time which would have been eighth-best in the 1988 Games.
A story in Tuesday's editions of USA Today quoted the 39-year-old Spitz, considered the greatest swimmer in Olympic history, as saying he is training for the U.S. Olympic Trials, which will be held in 2 1/2 years.
"I don't really call this a comeback because I left this sport at the top," Spitz told USA Today. "I want to swim the next three years like there's no tomorrow and, to me, that would be the accomplishment."
A source told The Associated Press that Spitz is, indeed, attempting a comeback and believes he can do it.
It was also learned that a lengthy article on Spitz' comeback attempt, written by Bud Greenspan, will appear in Sunday's Parade Magazine.
Spitz, who will be 42 when the next Olympics are held, has turned down all interview requests, including major television shows.
Spitz not only won seven golds 17 years ago, he set seven world records. But he will focus on just the one event, the 100-meter butterfly, at the present time.
U.S. Swimming Inc. officials confirmed that Spitz was reinstated as an eligible competitor by FINA, the governing body for world aquatic sports.
To compete in the U.S. Trials, Spitz has to attain the Trials qualifying time, which is still undetermined, in a regional meet. Then, he would have to finish first or second in the Trials to qualify for the 1992 Games.
In 1967, Spitz broke three United States and five world records, won five gold medals in the Pan American Games at Winnipeg, Manitoba, and was named Swimmer of the Year by Swimming World magazine.
Prior to the 1968 Mexico City Olympics, Spitz and his coach at that time, George Haines, predicted the swimmer could possibly win as many as six gold medals. But he won only two golds, both in relays.
After finishing third in the 100-meter freestyle, Spitz placed second in the 100-meter butterfly, his speciality, and lost his place on the American medley relay team to the winner, Doug Russell.
He finished last in the 200-meter butterfly, an event in which he was the world record holder.
Spitz has been involved in real estate and the manufacturing of children's clothes in recent years.