Swimming at the 1972 München Summer Games:

Shane Gould was favored, as she was in every freestyle event in Munich. She held the world record, set at a meet in Santa Clara, California in July 1971. But she had lost the 100 free final the day before, and was considered slightly vulnerable. But it was not to be, as Gould took the lead comfortably on the first lap, and simply kept pulling ahead. She eventually won by over three seconds, at least 10 metres of open water between Gould and silver medalist Novella Calligaris of Italy, which was the first ever Olympic medal for Italy by a female swimmer. Trailing in third was East German Gudrun Wegner, who held off a fast-closing Shirley Babashoff (USA).