Italy at the 1968 Summer Paralympics Italy at the 1968 Summer Paralympics Italy competed at the 1968 Summer Paralympics in Tel Aviv, Israel. The team finished seventh in the medal table and won a total of 39 medals; 12 gold, 10 silver and 17 bronze. Thirty-eight Italian athletes competed at the Games; thirty-three men and five women. Thirty-eight Italian athletes competed at the Games; thirty-three men and five women. Roberto Marson, who had previously won two gold medals in athletics at the 1964 Summer Paralympics in Tokyo, was proclaimed the outstanding athlete of the Games. He won ten gold medals, three in athletics field events, three
Mark Spitz beaten by Russell, Spitz did not get to swim in the 4×100-meter medley relay, which gave Russell his second gold medal and the USA team another world record performance. Spitz was disappointed in his 1968 Olympic performance. in January 1969, he decided to attend Indiana University to train with legendary Indiana Hoosiers swimming coach Doc Counsilman, who was also his Olympic coach in Mexico City. He called choosing Indiana and Counsilman "the biggest decision of my life (and) the best." While at Indiana, Spitz won eight individual NCAA titles. In 1971, he won the James E. Sullivan Award as the