INFO
Biography
Born August 23, 1982 to Jim and Zennie Coughlin, Natalie Coughlin is arguably one of the most versatile swimmers in history, and has quickly risen up the international swimming ranks. Since the age of 6, when she began swimming competitively, Natalie has excelled in the sport. Natalie trained and competed with the Terrapins of she dazzled crowds as a young teenager setting several national high school records that still stand to this day.
Natalie suffered a disappointing setback in 1999, in the form of a shoulder injury. Although she suffered through regular practices and many major meets, the biggest disappointment was not qualifying for any events at the 2000 Olympic Trials. But Natalie fought her way through physical therapy and returned to the peak form that wins races and sets records.
Natalie continued her swimming career by accepting a college scholarship to swim at the University of California at Berkeley under coach Teri McKeever. Within a year of her arrival at Cal Berkeley, Natalie had won five national titles, broken American collegiate records in the backstroke and the butterfly, been named NCAA Swimmer of the Year, and won a backstroke gold medal at the 2001 World Championships, in Fukuoka, Japan. By the end of her junior year, she had won every national honor that American swimming offers, several more than once. All those accomplishments while becomimg the first woman in the world ever to swim a LC 100m backstroke race in less than a minute (:59.58). Throughout the remainder or her collegiate career, Natalie amassed a large collection of awards, records, and honors: NCAA Swimmer of the Year, Pac-10 Swimmer of the Year, USA Swimmer of the Month, NCAA Champion, US Summer National Champion, Pan Pacific Championships, Women's Sports Foundation Sportswoman of the Year, and Female World Swimmer of the Year to name a few.
By the time the next Olympic Trials rolled around in 2004, Natalie was ready. She was fresh off a brilliant NCAA career and had just recently turned pro and signed an endorsement contract with Speedo. She was one of the most closely followed stories by the media and she did not disappoint. Natalie qualified for the 2004 Olympic team in the 100m back and 100m free which then allowed her to swim 3 relays in Athens (800m free relay, 400m free relay, and 400m medley relay). When the 2004 Olympics came to a close, Natalie had won 2 gold, 2 silver, and 1 bronze medals at the games on her way to becoming the third American woman to win five at one meet.
An ankle injury after the games sidelined Natalie for a few months, but in 2005 she continues to train and compete. In April she won 2 national titles at the World Championship Trials in the 100 Free and the 100 Back. She finished 3rd in the 100 fly. On May 21, 2005 Natalie graduated from Cal, but skipped the ceremony in favor of swimming at a USA Swimming Grand Prix meet. At the World Championships in Montreal (July 2005), Natalie will once again swim a full schedule of events consisting of both individual and relay events.
Written by me (Suz) for Natalie-Coughlin.com with info from USA Swimming and Natalie's New Yorker features
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