Who knew the town of Amesbury had a gold medal connection?
The mother of Mark Spitz, the American swimmer who won seven Olympic gold medals in 1972, lives in Amesbury. Spitz's seven medals in one Olympics was the world record until last weekend when Michael Phelps won his eighth gold medal in Beijing.
Lenore Spitz of Pond Street did not wish to talk about her son or the current Olympics.
Mark Spitz, 58, was born in Modesto, Calif. He won 2 gold medals in 1968, but his performance in the 1972 Olympics set historic records for athletic achievement. He retired from professional swimming at age 22.
According to his official Web site, he currently resides in Los Angeles. He works as a motivational speaker and is investing in a water bottling company out of Louisiana.
