Bobsleigh at the 1968 Winter Olympics Bobsleigh at the 1968 Winter Olympics Bobsleigh at the 1968 Winter Olympics consisted of two events, at L'Alpe d'Huez. The competition took place between 8 and 11 February 1968. Five countries won medals in Grenoble, with Italy leading the medal table, winning both gold medals. West Germany won its first medal in bobsleigh, while Romania's bronze medal was its first, and as of 2010, only, Winter Olympic medal. There was a tie for first place in the two-man event. Despite initially ruling that both teams would be awarded the gold medals, the judges awarded the sole gold to the Italian
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