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By David Rieder
This morning, Natalie Coughlin will swim the first race of her fifth Olympic Trials. Coughlin is 34 years old and has won 12 Olympic medals, tying her with Jenny Thompson and Dara Torres for the most medals any American women has won.
She was the first woman to break 1:00 in the 100 back in 2002, and six years later, she became the first woman to ever break 59.
She has twice won Olympic gold in the 100 back, both times holding off Kirsty Coventry—a legendary swimmer in her own right—down the stretch. Twice she’s earned the Olympic bronze in the 100 free after entering as an underdog.
She finished a disappointing fourth in the 200 IM at the Trials in 2000 and swore off the event—before swimming it on a whim a month out from the 2008 Trials. Fast forward to Beijing, and Coughlin won the bronze medal.
She has been a staple on American relays for a decade and a half, helping the American women win World titles in the 400 free relay in 2003 and again in 2013.
Coughlin has been versatile and consistent, has broken world records over a span of six years and had her signature Olympic moments. Seems like she’s one of the greatest swimmers of all-time, right?
But then why does swimming’s “Big Four” refer to Michael Phelps, Ryan Lochte, Missy Franklin and Katie Ledecky? Even if she is no longer at the peak of her powers, why did Coughlin not even merit a pre-meet press conference at these Trials?
Sure, she never won multiple individual gold medals at an Olympics or World Championships like that esteemed quartet. Coughlin shared the spotlight with the likes of Inge de Brujin, Hannah Stockbauer, Yana Klochkova, Laure Manaudou, Stephanie Rice, Coventry and then later Franklin and Ledecky. For all her accomplishments, she has only once been named Swimming World’s World Swimmer of the Year—all the way back in 2002.
But through all those eras come and gone, Coughlin has always been there.
“She’s just always been so consistent,” said NBC analyst Rowdy Gaines. “Every single race it’s seems like she’s in the final—whatever she decides to swim, you know you can just kind of count on her to be there. She doesn’t win all the time. She doesn’t dominate. She never has dominated at the international level like Katie [Ledecky]. But she just kind of pecks away at the greatness.”
For Teri McKeever—who coached Coughlin from 2000 until 2012—it’s been her protege’s ability to sustain her career for so long that stands out.
“She’s got an amazing work ethic,” McKeever said. “She obviously takes really great care of herself. She’s a student of the sport and just really enjoys it and has found different ways to keep improving and stay sharp. It’s been an inspiration to a lot of people.”
For all of her ups, Coughlin has had her downs as well—most notably at the 2012 Olympic Trials, when she finished third in her signature 100 back and did not make the team until her final chance, when she finished sixth in the 100 free to qualify for the 400 free relay. She ended up winning a bronze medal in London as a prelims relay swimmer.
For many, that would signal time to hang it up. For Coughlin, it meant an exciting new beginning.
At that point, Coughlin began working with Cal men’s coach Dave Durden and his group of professionals that includes 100 free Olympic gold medalist Nathan Adrian. She has shifted her primary focus to sprint freestyle, but she still has time for her old favorite, the 100 back, in which she enters today’s preliminaries as the top seed.
Naturally, the signature moments of Coughlin’s career have come in that event. When asked to pick the moments that most stand out to them, both Gaines and McKeever—who have been there for every one of Coughlin’s big races—picked a 100 backstroke.
Gaines picked the race in which she became the first woman under 1:00 in the event.
“Her signature moment to me was Fort Lauderdale Nationals in 2002,” he said. “Her first world record in a pool in Fort Lauderdale that was three feet deep. She hit her back on the start, on the bottom of the pool. To me, that was just incredible, even more so than her Olympic victories.”
McKeever recalled two moments, first remembering when Coughlin defended her Olympic title in Beijing—just a day after Coventry had snatched away the world record.
“I just think defending something is pretty special,” McKeever said. “Probably not the happiest moment that I ever had with her—probably the biggest relief moment I’ve ever had with her.”
Then she remembered one moment that took place at the first Olympic Trials held in Omaha eight years ago.
In the prelims of the 100 back, Coughlin stood behind the blocks and watched Hayley McGregory break her world record. And then Coughlin took it right back.
“You could just tell, she was like, ‘Well, okay. If that’s what we’re gonna do.” And then [she] broke it,” McKeever said. “I think she was just kind of swim to qualify, and then when Hayley did that, it was like, ‘Okay, hot shot—here we go.’”
Coughlin once again will stand behind lane four in the final heat of the women’s 100 backstroke, just a few short hours from now. She is no longer the world record-holder or even the favorite.
But she is still here, continuing to add to what is without a doubt one of the greatest swimming résumés of all time.
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Love her .Great article, thanks.