this is "piers morgan tonight." >> mark spitz is a true olympic legend. spitz was swimming into the record books. he won seven gold medals. 40 years later, he remains an icon, an american hero and he's here. mark spitz, welcome. what it's like to be an icon? >> probably a little bit better than not being an icon. i was thrusted into that opportunity in 1972. i didn't realize i was going to be elevated to a level where people are going to be looking at it like something special. >> i was 7 years old. the first olympic games i ever watched on television with any kind of real interest or be old enough to understand what was going on. you were like this incredible fish. every time you went in the water, everyone else had to get out of there. and you also had the most incredible mustache that anyone had ever seen. which is now gone. >> i know. i grew that mustache out of spite because my college coach said you need to look like the all-american boy. so it took me for about five or six months to grow that mustache. i had intentions of shaving it off. i said wow,

plus, michael phelps, mark spitz. i'll get him to set the record straight, who's the best, spitz or phelps? >> the peak of both your power, who would win? i would like to say selfishly maybe i'd beat him. >> inspiring advice for today's olympians and his harrowing escape from a terror attack with the whole world watching. the whole world watching. this is "piers morgan tonight." -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com >>> deadly danger in the great outdoors. a florida teenager lost the lower part of his right arm to alligator. a california man was in his kayak when a great white shark took a chunk out of his boat on saturday. just from the start of this month, there have been at least seven different attacks across the country by bears, alligators, a shark and a mountain lion. are the attacks on the rise? joining me now, a man who knows about this thing. he survived a grizzly attack himself. jack hanna is the director emeritus at the columbus zoo and aquarium. he's outside the venetian in scottsdale, arizona, and has a

this is "piers morgan tonight." >> mark spitz is a true olympic legend. spitz was swimming into the record books. he won seven gold medals. 40 years later, he remains an icon, an american hero and he's here. mark spitz, welcome. what it's like to be an icon? >> probably a little bit better than not being an icon. i was thrusted into that opportunity in 1972. i didn't realize i was going to be elevated to a level where people are going to be looking at it like something special. >> i was 7 years old. the first olympic games i ever watched on television with any kind of real interest or be old enough to understand what was going on. you were like this incredible fish. every time you went in the water, everyone else had to get out of there. and you also had the most incredible mustache that anyone had ever seen. which is now gone. >> i know. i grew that mustache out of spite because my college coach said you need to look like the all-american boy. so it took me for about five or six months to grow that mustache. i had intentions of shaving it off. i said wow,

it's law that just makes sense. >>> mark spitz is a true olympic legend. itz was swimming the way into the record books. 40 years later, he remains an icon, an american hero, and he's here. mark spitz, welcome. >> my pleasure. >> what's it like being an american icon? >> probably a little better than not being an icon, you know? i was sort of thrusted into that opportunity in 1972. i didn't realize my performance was going to elevate myself to a level where people would be looking at it as something special. >> i remember it vividly. i was 7 years old. it was the first olympic games i'd ever watched on television with any kind of real interest or being old enough to understand what's going on. you were like this incredible fish. every time you went in the water, everyone else had to get out of there and you just destroyed everyone. you had the most incredible mustache anyone had ever seen. >> you know, i -- >> now gone. >> i grew that mustache out of spite because my college coach said you need to look like the all-american boy. i went to the olympic trials

. >> i'll ask legend mark spitz. and what ryan's proud mom thinks of her son's new sex symbol status. >> i'm glad all this is coming to him but i don't want him ever to change. >> also, my one on one very candid interview with michael phelps. >> if you want to be the best, you have to do things that other people aren't willing to do. >> this is "piers morgan tonight." good evening from london and day three of the spectacular olympic games. behind me is the aquatic center. a new world record. an extraordinary achievement. a devastating loss for u.s. gymnast jordan wieber. leaving her team and country shocked. finishing out of the medal race. and gymnast twisting and turning in their seats as they watch her perform. for sheer drama, nothing can quite match the u.s. men's team and the ongoing battle for glory between michael phelps and ryan lochte. are we witnessing a changing of the guard? with me now on our big story is olympic legend mark spitz. also with me is christine brennan, sports columnist for "usa today." wel

great mark spitz won 7 gold medals at that olympics. mark, you're jewish. a shattering event. what are your memories of it? >> well, for me, and the whole swimming community, swimming was over before this happened. we finished in the evening of monday and this happened into the early hours, as we know, into tuesday. i had gone out with a gentleman by the name -- two gentleman who was a photograph er sports illustrated and a guy named jerry christianbalm who wrote all kinds of articles for me who became the editor of "time" magazine later on. everybody was cheering me, wanting to throw me drinks, i don't drink, you know, at the restaurant that evening. at 9:00 in the morning, i woke up and wednesday to the press conference and they were the first to meet me and said did you hear what happened? i said i don't understand what's going on. whand was i was with you last night. i don't know anything. well, there's about 1500 press people in this room and there's been a lockdown. supposedly, there's some terrorist activities there in the village. they had these high-powered zoom lense

mark spitz, extraordinary performance by this 16-year-old chinese swimmer. to have a split time that was faster than ryan lochte. what do you make of this? lots of people casting suspicious eyebrows in the direction of this particular performance. >> i wouldn't want to speculate on anything that would be negative to her performance. it stands on its own unless she doesn't pass the drug test. i think it's incredible to think a woman can swim faster than a man. especially when they were both on world record pace. yet she swam fast they're last 100 meters. normally people that break world records are sort of like fading at the end and yet she actually galloped ahead and caught up to the world record pace and then passed it. so she had such an exhibition the last 25 meters of accelerating way past all the people that were in the pool with her. it was an incredible finish. i've never seen anything like it in my life. >> mark spitz, the other big argument at the moment is raging over nbc's refusal to air some of these big events, especially swimming, in real time.

not mark spitz's goal to do the best he could. and in the process, my record got broken. why wouldn't i be proud? my accolade to the sport was the fact that he was able to do that. >> when i interviewed him, he's physically impressive. he had an aura about him of invincibility.

i want to be the first michael phelps and not the second mark spitz. >> in beijing, talking about marku feel about that? he wants to be the first michael phelps. >> we're saw michael come on the scene and n athens and at the olympic games where he attempted to swim in eight evens and came away with six medals. i knew he had the capacity to attempt to break my record. i knew it was a matter of time. if he stayed healthy, we obviously saw what he was able to do. i felt a relief. you heard the cliche. the roars are made to be broken. why should mine be exclusive? it was a matter of time that someone came along and i inspired someone not even born to do the best he could. in the process my record got broken. why wouldn't i be proud in they accolade was that he was able to do that. >> i interviewed him and apart from being physically impressive, he had an aura of invincibility. he was a guy who knew he was head and shoulders and in his case massive wing span shoulders above everybody else. he had that aura and swagger. you have that too. do you recognize that in the true champion? >> he has

mark spitz used to be the greatest swimmer. when asked who will win, here is what he said. >> i think the first time we will see them will be in the first race, 400 individual. i put my money on michael. i will have to wait around an account like everybody else. i think he will be very successful. >> good prediction. it looks like the statue of joe paterno outside of beaver stadium will stay up for now. the penn state board of trustees are reluctant to remove the statue in part because it would offend alumni and students. sources say some trustees do not want to be pressured by the media to take down the stretch atue. on thursday, it they admitted that they covered up the sexual abuse of young boys by jerry sandusky. since that time, the determination about whether the statue should stay or go has been an emotionally charged open. bernhard langer is the man to beat at the senior u.s. open. playing at like it is a 1993 all over again. the 11th. set up the birdie. here he is doing it again on 15. requester shot lead going into to

. >> i'll ask legend mark spitz. what ryan's proud mom thinks of her son's new sex symbol status. >> i'm glad all this is coming to him but i don't want him ever to change. >> also, my one on one very candid interview with michael phelps. >> if you want to be the best, you have to do things that other people aren't willing to do. >> this is "piers morgan tonight." good evening from london and day three of the spectacular olympic games. behind me is the aquatic center. a new world record. an extraordinary achievement. a devastating loss for u.s. gymnast jordan wieber. leaving her team and country shocked. finishing out of the medal race. and gymnast twisting and turning in their seats as they watch her perform. for sheer drama, nothing can quite match the u.s. men's team and the ongoing battle for glory between michael phelps and ryan lochte. are we witnessing a changing of the guard? with me now on our big story is olympic legend mark spitz. also with me is christine brennan, sports columnist for "usa today." welcome

of the pool just as fast as "tarzan" johnny weismuller did in the '28 olympics and faster than mark spitzhe 1969 world championships. but what has all of london talking is how her times compare to the men of today. in the 400 medleys, she swam those final two laps almost exactly as fast as michael phelps, and in the last 50 meters, was faster than ryan lochte. "every time we see something 'unbelievable,' history shows us that it turns out doping was involved," john leonard told a british paper. and though the so-called "mandarin mermaid" passed her drug test saturday, parents of american swimmers are suspicious as well. >> if it's within the rules today, they might have to change the rules later when they found out what they did. >> reporter: in china, there is outrage over the allegations, and charges of racism. >> translator: i think the accusations are unfair. people may think asians are not as strong as americans or europeans. >> reporter: but biology tells us that women like ye can't be faster than her male peers over the long haul, because a man's heart pumps about 16% more blood pe

mark spitz, who won seven gold medals in 1972. you recognize michael phelps. the shoulders, it's all changed very recently. just ask judy who captained team usa to two gold medals in soccer. >> my last olympics was in 2004. so i played in three olympics. we were just getting into, hey, strap on a heart rate monitor. that's really cool, we can check our heart rate. now if i was playing, they have wires on them, mats on them. they're doing treadmill tests. >> reporter: to grab that gold, athletes do things that would have been unthinkable, rigorous discipline and an exploding field of sports science. not just nutrition and body mass, but also the dissection of movement. we know gold medal sprinters are taller and bulkier. marathoners, smaller and leaner. >> talent still drives the bus. but you got to remember we're in a sport where a 1% difference is the difference between a gold medal and not making the final. >> the olympics of old, athletes were born competitors, today they get a little extra help. jeffrey kofman, abc news london. >> now i feel hopelessly ina

a global great and an american sport standout, rising above the legendary mark spitz, who won 11 gold medals at the munich games in 1972. and phelps is on his way to doubling the 10 medals won by carl louis, wowon 10 medals in his olympic career. phelps says these olympic games are his last and for all time, he's made a lasting impression. >> reporter: michael phelps now 27 years old. and it's hard to imagine that as an advanced age. but at that level of coveragetition, it is. and it's clear, as you've seen this week, he's not as dominant as he was in his prime. but there's no question that what he has accomplish will stand -- accomplished will stand the test of time. >> all right, mark. thank you. and he has more to do. phelps has three more events to swim in london, as he tries to add to his medals total. >>> a frightening problem on a major baltimore street. a growing sinkhole. hits another problem for the city's old infrastructure. wjz is live right now. mike hellgren takes a closer look at the solutions to this growing problem. mike? >> reporter: vic, it's going to take sometime

here is question number two swimmer mark spitz.record seven gold medals. >> this final victory spitz had broken every existing olympic record. >> spitz was an amazing talent. he also attributed some of his success to what he called his good luck piece. and what was that? the answer is, yes, his mustache. just like gracho marks. the same sort of situation except good groucho couldn't sw. >> maccallum thought he was cute i guess it was. 1936 summer olympics took place in berlin, germany with adolf hitler in attendance. jesse owens stole the show winning four gold medals. >> and the games are on. here in the semi final heat of the 100-meter dash catching blinding speed of jesse owens crack being the world record in the incredible time of 10/.2 seconds. >> all right when owens came home to the u.s.a. he claimed a u.s. president snubbed him by never congratulating him on his victory. what president was he referring to? >> f.d.r. >> what? >> yeah. isn't that interesting that allegation comes from owens himself. >> i didn't see it on the

mark spitz says unless she fails a drug test, her record stands. a mits she might have beat me. the talk back question, are the suspicions surrounding the chinese swimmer fair? facebook.com/carolcnn. your responses later this hour. ♪ [music plays] ♪ [music plays] what ? customers didn't like it. so why do banks do it ? hello ? hello ?! if your bank doesn't let you talk to a real person 24/7, you need an ally. hello ? ally bank. no nonsense. just people sense. but what about your wrinkles. neutrogena® rapid wrinkle repair. it has the fastest retinol formula available. it's clinically proven to visibly reduce wrinkles in just one week. "why wait if you don't have to." rapiwrinkle repair. neutrogena®. recommended most by dermatologists. is that your phone bill? sure is. let's see if we can go inside and save you some money on your plan. you ready? sounds great! can you tell them about straight talk? sure. with straight talk at walmart you get unlimited talk, text and data for only $45 a month. but do i get the same coverage? oh yeah. it's on america's

american face of these olympic games, winning her first gold at a younger age than michael phelps and mark spitzthat, i was just going to go, just give it all i had. i saw that flag and i tried to touch the wall. >> missy going for her second gold tonight so you want to make sure you tune in to nbc4 to check that out. >>> the u.s. women's field hockey team taking on argentina later today. we have lot of local flavor on this term. former terps keli smith-puzo and kelly o'donnell. today we're talking about centerville native claire laubach. quite an accomplishment for laubach. he was informed by e-mail she didn't make the team for the beijing games. then, she was demoted from the u.s. national team. it's a move that would have driven many to quit but for laubach it was pure motivation. she's now re-energized and has become important for this field hockey team that is looking for its first olympic medal in 28 years. laubach says her tale of redemption isn't something she dwells on. >> actually i haven't thought about it much. i think a lot of other people that know my story are more -- get caught u

. >> i'll ask legend mark spitz.t ryan's proud mom thinks of her son's new sex symbol status. >> i'm glad all this is coming to him but i don't want him ever to change. >> also, my one on one very candid interview with michael phelps. >> if you want to be the best, you have to do things that other people aren't willing to do. >> this is "piers morgan tonight." good evening from london and day three of the spectacular olympic games. behind me is the akwaquatic cen. a new world record. an extraordinary achievement. a devastating loss for u.s. gymnast jordan weeker. leaving her team and country shocked. finishing out of the medal race. and gymnast twisting and turning in their seats as they watch her perform. for sheer drama, nothing can quite match the u.s. men's team and the ongoing battle for glory between michael phelps and ryan lochte. are we witnessing a changing of the guard? with me now on our big story is olympic legend mark spit

rising above the legendary mark spitz who won 11 gold meld -- medals in 1982. and on his way to double the field and track star, carl lewis. phelps said these london games are his last, and for all time, he's made a lasting impression. >> reporter: michael phelps is 27 years old. and that is an advanced age for a swimmer at that level. and as we've seen this week in london, he's not as dominant as he was in his prime, but it's clear that his achievements will stand the test of all time for what he's already done. back to you. >> mark, thank you. >> phelps has three more events to swim in london, giving him three more opportunities to add to his record medal total. >> well, a severe thunderstorm warning is in effect for parts of maryland right now. it is a warm tuesday evening as we take a live look outside. looks nice right there, though. let's check in with meteorologist bernadette woods and bob turk, tracking live doppler radar. >> we have two warnings now. one storm moving out of montgomery county, into frederick county. that's until 5:45. the other storm, a

mikechael phelps won eight gold medals in the beijing, and we remember mark spitz with seven, but lochtean interview, he has only entered events that he believes he can win, so he has entered seven events. >> yes, originally eight and pulled out of one. and the men's basketball team. >> and nobody is going to beat america at basketball. and if they lose, lebron james and kobe bryant, i mean. >> and the women's team have won the last four olympics running and only lost three times when it came back into the olympics in 1970. and oscar pistorius, and you know the paralympics compete, and this is great. anyone who meets oscar pistorius gets inspired. >> this is the most inspiring thing i have ever seen. this guy is an extraordinary example of resilience and determination against all adversity. >> no doubt that the scientific evidence has been proven that he does not get an unfair advantage and hey, he has no legs. >> you think it is unfair, try it. it is ridiculous, isn't it? and finally, the final one you chose and i like this. >> mariel zugunis and nobody heard of her, but she is going to

plus, michael phelps, mark spitz. i'll get him to set the record straight, who's the best, spitz or phelps? >> the peak of both your power, who would win? i would like to say selfishly maybe i'd beat him. >> inspiring advice for today's olympians and his harrowing escape from a terror attack with the whole world watching. this is "piers morgan tonight." >>> deadly danger in the great outdoors. a florida teenager lost the lower part of his right arm to alligator. a california man was in his kayak when a great white shark took a chunk out of his boat on saturday. just from the start of this mo

plus, michael phelps, mark spitz. him to set the record straight, who's the best, spitz or phelps? >> the peak of both your power, who would win? i would like to say selfishly maybe i'd beat him. >> inspiring advice for today's olympians and his harrowing escape from a terror attack with the whole world watching. the whole world watching. this is "piers morgan tonight." -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com >>> deadly danger in the great outdoors. a florida teenager lost the lower part of his right arm to alligator. a california man was in his kayak when a great white shark took a chunk out of his boat on saturday. just from the start of this month, there have been at least seven different attacks across the country by bears, alligators, a shark and a mountain lion. are the attacks on the rise? joining me now, a man who knows about this thing. he survived a grizzly attack himself. jack hanna is the director emeritus at the columbus

phelps already has the most gold medals of any olympian. 14 and he shattered mark spitz's record withng four years ago. >>> democrats are on track to support same-sex marriage as part of their convention platform. the party's platform draft committee unanimously approved a pro gay marriage language in a meeting over the weekend. the draft now goes to the full platform committee, which meets in two weeks. it reportedly won't be a central issue in either party's campaign. >>> you have to check out this billboard in western idaho. no surprise it's getting a lot of attention it compares president obama to movie massacre suspect, james holmes. that's right. the message by holmes picture says, kills 12 in a movie theater with assault rifle. everyone freaks out. the message by the president's picture? kills thousands with his foreign policy, wins nobel peace prize. the group behind it says all it's trying to do is argue against the president's war policy. still pretty controversial. >>> a showdown over taxes looms. a house gop bill that extends all tax cuts is expected to narrowly pass this

and shatter mark spitz's record with eight wins in one olympics.eijing four years ago. >>> mama said, knock you out. ll cool j playing whack-a-mole made by a 9-year-old boy made with cardboard, tape, and a lot of imagination. you may remember it from a viral video called caine's arcade. >> do you remember this story? >> incredible. >> this little boy, 9 years old, his dad had an auto parts store and has the boxes. he hangs out with his dad. he would take the boxes and create a little fake arcade. one day a guy who comes in decides to invite people, you know, what do they use to -- i can't remember what it is, basically online brought everybody together. his arcade suddenly had lines out the door. hundreds of people showing up to play his fake arcade. and not only was he stunned, but he was like, all right, come on in, and he starts playing the games to. have ll cool j join him, that's hilarious. >> very cool. >>> we have to talk about this drought. the nation is suffering. half the nation in the worst drought in 50 years. no one is struggling more

when asked who will win, here is what mark spitz had to say. >> i think that the first time we will seehe first race, 400 individual medley. i put my money on michael. to wait to count like everybody else. i think he will be very successful. >> a good prediction. i hope you have a great sunday. >> up, up and away and on to a mission to try to break a world record for two oregon men yesterday. they lifted into the skies above the area in two lawn chairs tied o a cluster of heel crulium fid balloons on a quest to break the guinness record. they hoped to go at least 500 miles landing somewhere in montana. >> you can set a kleenex on your lap and it doesn't fall off. it is a beautiful feeling. it is like you would manual if you were floating along on a puff of cloud. that is the experience we get. >> unfortunately the flight didn't last as long as hoped. they were forced to land due to thunderstorms about seven hours in the flight only 30 miles from the starting point. >> good thing there is nothing out there to pop those balloons. >> no. >> you wonder what they do for real jobs. >> one's n