Natalie Anne Coughlin: America’s multi-stroke swimming specialist
Natalie Anne Coughlin is one of the most competitive and dynamic female multi-stroke swimmers currently in America. She is the multi-stroke event medalist at the 2004 Athens Olympics and 2008 Beijing Olympics. The 28-year-old American has proven her dominance
many times at the international level in the freestyle, backstroke, butterfly and individual medley.
Coughlin’s consistent performances has earned her 46 international medals comprising of 20 gold medals, 16 silver medals and 10 bronze medals in her career. Bringing medals home and pushing her beloved country towards victory, remained a top priority goal
throughout her career.
The American has an incredible amount of talent from the very start of her swimming career. She conquered the 100m backstroke event at the 2001 World Long Course Championships and also won a silver medal in the 4*100m medley relay and a bronze medal in the
50m backstroke event.
During the 2002 Pan Pacific Championships, she stunned the crowd with her gold winning performance in the 100m backstroke, 100m butterfly, 100m freestyle and 4*200m freestyle relay event. She also captured two silver medals in the 4*100m freestyle relay
and the 4*100m medley relay.
Coughlin’s performance in the individual events faced some downtime in 2003, where she only won a gold medal in the freestyle relay and a silver medal in the medley relay. Then at the 2004 Olympics, Coughlin won two gold medals in the 100m backstroke and
the distant free relay along with two silver medals in the other two relays and a bronze in the 100m freestyle.
In 2005, Coughlin again faced a slight dip in her performance, as the shining American lost her Olympic gold event at the 2005 World Championships, winning a gold medal in distant freestyle relay, two silver medals in the 100m freestyle and the 100m freestyle
relay and two bronze medals in the 100m backstroke and the 4*100m freestyle events.
She is one of the most versatile swimmers and was severely disappointed with her effort at the 2005 Championships. Coughlin involved herself in a highly extensive training program, which proved fruitful in the 2006 Pan Pacific Championships. She proved to
everyone that she was back-on-track at the competition by winning gold medals in the 100m freestyle and three relays events. Coughlin also won two silver medals in the 100m backstroke and the 50m freestyle.
The Olympic backstroke gold medalist showed her true efforts at the 2007 World Championships, where she regained the title of the 100m backstroke along with the gold medal in the 4*200m freestyle relay. Her impressive swim in two relay events enabled the
American swimming team to earn silver medals, as she also managed to win a bronze medal in the 100m butterfly, an event in which she participated for the first time.
During the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Coughlin won a gold medal in the 100m backstroke, a silver medal in the 4*100m medley relay and three bronze medals in the 100m freestyle, 200m individual medley and the 4*200m freestyle relay.
Coughlin dominated 2010 with her astonishing swimming at the Dubai Championships and the Pan Pacific Championships. In the latter event, she won three gold medals in the 100m freestyle, 4*100m freestyle and 4*100m medley relay respectively and a bronze medal
in the 100m backstroke. The same year she again won four medals in Dubai including a gold medal in the 100m backstroke, two silver medals in the relays and a bronze medal in the 100m freestyle.
The American champion is still one of the most impressive American swimmers of 2011, as she will be taking part in the 2011 Shanghai World Championships and is aiming to perform at the top of her abilities at the 2012 London Olympics.
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