Natalie Coughlin of the United States has won the Olympic 100m backstroke, becoming the first woman to ever defend her title in the event.
Coughlin finished in 58.96 seconds, briefly going under world-record pace at the 50.
World record-holder Kirsty Coventry of Zimbabwe earned the silver in 59.19. American Margaret Hoelzer took the bronze in 59.34. Six of the eight finalists swam under 1 minute.
Coughlin earned her second medal of the Beijing Games, having won a silver in the 400 freestyle relay. Coventry was the silver medalist in the 400 individual medley.
Born: August 23, 1982
Emeryville, CA
Hometown: Vallejo, CA
Residence: Lafayette, CA
Ht: / Wt: 5’8″ / 130 lbs
Olympics: 2004
Event(s): 100m back, 100m free, 200m IM, 4x100m free relay, 4x200m free relay, 4x100m medley relay
Historic repeat
Natalie Coughlin became the first woman to win back-to-back Olympic titles in the 100m backstroke with her victory in Beijing. She lost her world record to Kirsty Coventry in a semifinal heat but outtouched Coventry in the final, swimming 58.96 to Coventry’s 59.19. Coventry swam 58.77 in her semifinal heat.
Breaking back
Coughlin qualified for Beijing by winning the 100m backstroke at Olympic Trials, setting the world record in the event twice at the meet. Coughlin headed to prelims planning to take it easy in the race, but in the heat before hers, Hayley McGregory broke the world record, which Coughlin had held since 2002. At that point, Coughlin decided she wanted the record back — and she took it in the following heat. Then, in the finals, Coughlin finished in 58.97 to break the record again and become the first woman under 59 seconds in that race.
Going for six
Coughlin also qualified for the 200m IM and 100m freestyle by finishing second at Trials. She had been previously guaranteed a spot on the 4x200m free relay by posting a time at an earlier meet, and Coughlin’s swims in the 100m back and 100m free earned her berths in the 4x100m medley and 4x100m free relays, giving her six events to swim in Beijing.
Natalie Coughlin won five medals, two gold, at the 2007 Worlds.
Record performance
In Athens, Coughlin became the third American woman to win five Olympic medals at one meet (the others are Shirley Babashoff and Dara Torres). She took gold in the 100m backstroke and the 4x200m freestyle relay, breaking the world record in that event. Coughlin also won silver medals in the 4x100m free relay and the 4x100m medley relay and a bronze in the 100m free. Coughlin says she didn’t realize the significance of her accomplishment until months after the Games. “I was kind of just overcome with emotion,” Coughlin said. “I’m just so proud to be there among such great athletes.”
Lucky five
After winning five medals in Athens, Coughlin went on to win five medals at 2005 Worlds and again at 2007 Worlds, though not in the same events. Coughlin says five has become somewhat of a lucky number for her, though she will swim six events in Beijing.
Berkeley Bear
Coughlin attended the University of California-Berkeley, where Teri McKeever coached her. She graduated in 2004 with a psychology degree but continues to train at Cal. She grew up near Berkeley in the East Bay suburb of Concord. As a collegian, she was named NCAA Swimmer of the Year in 2001, 2002 and 2003. Coughlin lost only one time in her college career, falling in her final race at the NCAA Championships. Coughlin says she had no regrets about foregoing sponsorship dollars to swim all four years.
Out of water
Cooking and photography are Coughlin’s favorite hobbies. Now that she has graduated college, Coughlin says she has more time to practice both. She says cooking is therapeutic and enjoys coming home after a long day of training and experimenting in the kitchen. She bought a house with a kitchen for entertaining that she shares with her fiance, Ethan Hall, a former UC-Santa Barbara swimmer. Coughlin has started working with digital photography and collects her favorite photos in hardbound books that she keeps around her house.
Dealing with fame
After Athens, Coughlin said she was recognized often on the street, not just in her hometown but in New York City. People would stop her and ask for an autograph or picture or just congratulate her on her success. Coughlin said the recognition was fun for a few months, but she wasn’t really sorry when it stopped. “It was fun while it lasted, but I’m glad to wasn’t too long,” she said. “Because it’s just so weird when strangers come up to you and know you!”
Olympic detour
A teenage prodigy, Coughlin was considered an elite swimmer at an early age until one day in March 1999. She woke up with severe pain in her left shoulder, pain so bad she struggled to lift her arm above her head. Diagnosed with a torn labrum muscle, doctors told Coughlin there was no guaranteed cure. Initially, Coughlin tried to rehabilitate it with physical therapy, but that was not effective. She scheduled surgery, but before she had the procedure, she saw Michael Dillingham, a renowned orthopedist. Dillingham sent her to a rehab clinic in San Francisco that is credited with bringing future NFL Hall-of-Famer Jerry Rice back to health. Coughlin rehabbed her shoulder the next year using their program. She failed to make the Olympic team in 2000, but less than a year later, she was a world champion. Coughlin also credits the improved results to a changed mental attitude. She says she no longer is focused just on swimming and has diversified her training regimen to include running, cycling, kickboxing, yoga and weightlifting.
Like a fish
Only a few weeks after her birth, Coughlin took her first dip in the family’s backyard pool. By the time she was 10 months old, her parents enrolled her in swimming lessons at a YMCA. By the time she was 5, Coughlin was swimming competitively. She joined the elite Concord Terrapins in California when she was 12, and no one had her pegged as a future Olympian. Her coaches liked her competitive streak and talent, but her technique needed work. After a few refinements she started to excel, and in 1998, as a 15-year-old, she became the first swimmer to qualify for the Summer Nationals in all 14 events.