Three-time Olympic swimmer Natalie Coughlin announced on Wednesday she was expecting a second child. Coughlin, 37, gave birth to a baby girl in October 2018, and announced today that her baby will girl will be upgraded to a big sister.
Coughlin last raced at the International Swimming League this past fall as a member of the DC Trident. Although she said she was not training for the upcoming Olympic Games, Coughlin still went in and raced in the new league, finished seventh in the 50 back and eighth in the 50 butterfly at the first ISL meet in Indianapolis.
Natalie Coughlin remains one of the most successful women swimmers in history, winning 12 Olympic medals across three trips to the Games. She was also the first woman to ever break 1:00 in the 100 backstroke in long course meters, and is the only woman to win the 100 back Olympic gold medal more than once.
Coughlin has also made a name for herself outside the pool, publishing a cook book last year called Cook to Thrive: Recipes to Fuel Body and Soul. In an interview with Swimming World last year, Coughlin started the process for her cookbook in 2017.
“That whole spring and summer was locking myself in the kitchen in testing recipes and trying things and figuring out what is in there. It was a lot more work than I originally thought, but it was a fun and rewarding process,” she said.
Natalie Coughlin has come a long way in her cooking over the years.
“In college, after my freshman year, I moved into an apartment and had to cook for myself. I didn’t really know how to cook. I read every book and took some cooking classes and really experimented. It became a way for me to decompress after training,” she said. “I learned so much. I have been learning more and more and now I can say that I am a really good home cook. Cooking and food just became part of my routine. After a long day, decompressing, but also entertaining for friends.”