Mark Spitz wore no cap, no goggles and sported a moustache at the 1972 Munich Olympics. Forty years on at London 2012, it is unlikely someone will emerge as iconically as he did from the swimming pool.
The United States swimmer set a world record when he won seven gold medals, whilst setting a world record for each gold he won. His all-time total was brought up to nine after the two golds he had won at 1968 Mexico City Games.
Poignancy was added to the fact that 36 years after the infamous 1936 Berlin Olympics that Hitler used as a propaganda tool for Nazism, the Jewish Spitz triumphed so spectacularly.
However he was forced to leave Bavaria before the closing ceremonies over the fear of him emerging as another target for the Black September terrorist group, who killed 11 Israeli athletes in the Munich massacre.
It would be another 36 years later, it was Michael Phelps who broke Spitz's Olympic record when he won eight gold medals in Beijing 2008.