Natalie Coughlin

Personal Data

Birthdate: Aug 23, 1982

Resides: Lafayette, CA

College: University of California at Berkeley; 2005 B.A., Psychology

Passions: Cooking, Gardening, Surfing, Health & Fitness, Photography 

Career Highlights

• 2008 Beijing Olympic Gold Medalist (100m Backstroke), Silver Medalist (Medley Relay and 4x100m Freestyle Relay), Bronze Medalist (100m Freestyle and 200m Individual Medley and 4x200m Freestyle Relay)
• 2004 Athens Olympic Gold Medalist, (100m Backstroke and 4x200m Freestyle Relay), Silver Medalist, (4x100m Freestyle Relay and 4x100m Medley Relay), Bronze Medalist (100m Freestyle)
• Five time medalist at the 2007 World Championships (Gold – 100m Backstroke, Gold - 4x200m Freestyle Relay, Silver - 4x100m Freestyle Relay, Silver - 4x100m Medley Relay, Bronze – 100m Butterfly)
• Five time medalist at the 2005 World Championships
  Six time medalist at the 2002 Pan-Pacific Championships

Awards & Nomination

• 2008 Nominated for Women’s Sports Foundation’s Female Athlete of the Year
• 2005 ESPY award nominee for “Best Olympic Performance” and “Best Performance by a Female Athlete”
• 2003 Women’s Sports Foundation “Individual Sportswoman of the Year”
• 2001, 2002 and 2003 NCAA “Swimmer of the Year”
• 2003 ESPY award nominee for “Best Female Collegiate Athlete” and “Best Record-Breaking Performance”
• 2002 “Female World Swimmer of the Year,” Swimming World magazine
• 2002 ConocoPhillips Performance of the Year Award
• AAU James E Sullivan Memorial Award, three time finalist, this award recognizes the top amateur athlete in the nation

Medal Count

• Natalie left the 2008 Beijing Olympics & the 2004 Athens Olympics as the most decorated female athlete
• She’s won a medal in every single Olympic event she’s ever entered
• Natalie has earned a total of 11 Olympic medals in two Olympics, the second highest in American Swimming History to the 12 medals won by Jenny Thompson achieved in four Olympics
• At the 2007 World Championships, Natalie finished as the world’s most decorated female swimmer in World Championship history

Olympic History

• Natalie became the first woman in Olympic history to successfully win back-to-back Gold Medals in the 100m Backstroke
• With plans to compete in the London 2012 Olympics, Natalie would have the opportunity to become the most decorated American female swimmer of all time

Health & The Environment

• Natalie’s affinity for health and nutrition go hand-in-hand with her natural lifestyle and green mentality
• Natalie keeps a large backyard garden where she grows a vast array of organic fruits and vegetables. She even has 5 chickens which she keeps for fresh, organic eggs. 
• Natalie is an avid surfer with a deep passion for the environment
• She embraces the use of renewable resources and local organic produce

Beyond The Pool

• Leading up to Beijing, Natalie participated in USADA’s Project Believe campaign, voluntarily participating in extra blood tests in an effort to speak out in support of clean competition
• With her medal haul in Beijing, Natalie helped children around the world receive an $85,000 donation to Right to Play made through the Hearts of Gold program
• Natalie is truly one of the few athletes who have been able to transcend her sport into other arenas such as entertainment and fashion
• Natalie is not only admired for her athletic talents, but also for her class, vivacious smile and engaging personality, which MSNBC capitalized on when they recruited her as an on-air commentator during the 2006 Torino Winter Games
• Natalie’s elegance and style have earned her accolades on the red carpet of the ESPY Awards and Golden Goggles.
• Natalie participated in Season 9 of ABC’s hit show “Dancing With the Stars” and was partnered with Alec Mazo