Natalie Coughlin
Natalie Coughlin
Natalie Coughlin Hall, née Natalie Anne Coughlin, is an American competition swimmer and twelve-time Olympic medalist. While attending the University of California, Berkeley, she became the first woman ever to swim the 100-meter backstrokein less than one minute—ten days before her 20th birthday in 2002. At the 2008 Summer Olympics, she became the first U.S. female athlete in modern Olympic history to win six medals in one Olympiad, and the first woman ever to win a 100-meter backstroke gold in...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionSwimmer
Date of Birth23 August 1982
CityVallejo, CA
CountryUnited States of America
I generally wake up at 4:30, have breakfast No. 1, then get to the pool by 5 a.m.
The pressure of the Olympic Games is real overwhelming.
I hate how late we have our Olympic Trials, always have.
I very much looked up to Janet Evans and Summer Sanders.
There's an adage that a lot of coaches have, that I completely disagree with, is if you make the Olympic team too early you become complacent.
I was the official wedding photographer at one of my best friends' weddings. Fortunately she was one of the most easygoing brides ever, so she made it easy for me.
I like to take mustard baths. I combine 4 lbs Epsom salts, 3 oz mustard powder, 12 oz powdered milk, and 1/2 cup baking soda, add in 12 drops each of rosemary and eucalyptus essential oils, then whisk it and pour 1/4 cup of the mix into the tub while warm water is running.
Pilates is an awesome cross-training exercise for any sport because it focuses on functional movement.
Cooking a fantastic meal is therapeutic. I like the entire process-the chopping, the stirring. At the end, hopefully you get to enjoy a great meal with a friend or loved one.
I was tempted my junior year to go out of college and forgo my eligibility. I had broken several world records. I did have a lot of people telling me that I should go pro.
I don't have any superstitions, but what I always travel with is my pillow and my coffee.
I'm up before 5 a.m., I have breakfast, then swimming, Pilates, weight training, and physical therapy. I'm constantly going from one thing to the next. Everyone is busy, but that's my busy,
When I was little, I wasn't so little. I had a big old round belly and I was really clumsy, but I was super confident.
Leading a healthy, active lifestyle is all about momentum. If I'm in the middle of training it's easy for me to keep that up. It gets tough when I'm on a break. I just try to start my day with a good breakfast and a quick walk, something simple that gets the day off on the right foot. The more I do that, the more I make healthy choices that reflect the good choices made earlier.