Natalie Coughlin

BOLZANO, Italy, November 6. NATALIE Coughlin completed a strong two-day outing in Italy at the International Swim Meeting in Bolzano. 

Coughlin began the day with a win in the women’s 100 fly with a 56.97. That swim pushed her to fifth in the world rankings in the event. Italy’s Elena Di Liddo placed second in 59.32, while Germany’s Sina Sutter earned third in 1:00.21. Coughlin followed that up with her fourth title of the meet with a 24.50 in the women’s 50 free. She jumped to 12th in the rankings with that performance. Germany’s Dorothea Brandt took second in 24.99, while Italy’s Erica Buratto touched third in 25.36. 

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BOLZANO, Italy, November 5. IT was a banner first day of short course meter racing for Natalie Coughlin at the International Swim Meeting held in Bolzano, Italy. 

Coughlin started off the day with a 52.94 to win the women’s 100 free, short of her eighth-ranked season best of 52.80 from Genova earlier in the week. She then rattled the American record in the women’s 100 IM, which Coughlin has said is her favorite event. Coughlin won the sprint medley with a time of 58.72. That time just missed Ariana Kukors’ American record of 58.65 from the semifinals of the World Short Course Championships in Dubai in 2010. The time did clip Fran Halsall’s 58.73 for the top ranking in the world this year, and bettered Coughlin’s lifetime best of 58.80 from back in 2003. She moved to eighth on the all-time rankings with the performance. 

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GENOVA, Italy, November 1. USA’s Natalie Coughlin began what looks to be a productive European swing spanning multiple meets in Italy this week. At the Nico Sapio Trophy meet today, Coughlin posted a top-ranked time while also breaking into the top 10 in another short course meter rankings for her second victory of the night. 

Coughlin crushed the women’s 100 backstroke with a time of 56.47. That swim cleared Missy Franklin’s previously top-ranked time of 56.73 set at the Berlin stop of the World Cup circuit, and came within half-a-second of her American record of 56.08 from Dubai in 2010. Italy’s Arianna Barbieri (59.83) and Roberta Ioppi (1:01.11) finished second and third. 

Coughlin then claimed the women’s 100 free title in 52.80 to move to seventh in the world rankings. Franklin leads the world with a 52.09 from Berlin, while Coughlin bypassed Allison Schmitt (53.07) as the second-fastest American this year. The Netherlands’ Femke Heemskerk took second in 53.20, while USA’s Kim Vandenberg touched third in 54.79. 

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