SWIMMER STATS
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Career Highlights
Collected a bronze medal in the 100m back at the 2011 FINA World Championships while helping the 4x100m medley relay set an American record and win gold; also picked up a silver in the 4x100m free relay and finished eighth in the 100m free ... Won the 100m back, placed third in the 100m free, and helped the 4x100m free-relay and 4x100m med-relay to second place finishes at the 2010 FINA Short Course
World Championships ... Claimed the national title in the 100m back during the 2010 CP National Championships … first woman ever to win back-to-back Gold medals in the same event in consecutive Olympics, 100m back (2004/2008) … became the third woman to win five medals in a single Olympics … she became the first woman to swim the 100m back in less than one minute … 2002 USA Swimming Swimmer of the Year … three time NCAA Swimming of the Year … Three time National Sullivan Award Finalist (nation’s top amateur athlete) … first person since Tracy Caulkins (1978) to win five U.S. National titles at one meet (August 2002)
Olympics History
2008: Gold, 100m BK; Silver, 400m FR-R (AR)/ 400m MR; Bronze, 200m IM/100m FR (AR)/ 800m FR-R (AR) ... 2004: Gold, 100m BK/800m FR-R(WR); Silver, 400m FR-R(AR) & 400m MR; Bronze, 100m FR
World Champs History
2011: Gold, 400m MR; Silver, 400m FR-R; Bronze, 100m BK; 8, 100m FR ... 2007: Gold, 100m BK(WR)/800m FR-R(WR); Silver, 400m FR-R(AR)/400m MR; Bronze, 100m FL(AR); 4, 100m FR(AR); 8, 50m FR ... 2005: Gold, 800m FR-R; Silver, 100m FR(tie) & 400m MR; Bronze, 100m BK & 400m FR-R ... 2003: Gold, 400m FR-R; Silver, 400m MR ... 2001: Gold, 100m BK & 800m FR-R(AR); Silver, 400m MR; Bronze, 50m BK
World Champs History
WC Medal Count: 18 - 6G, 7S, 5B
World Champs History
2011: Bronze 100 BK, 8th 100 FR, Gold 4x100 MR, Silver 4x100 FR-R
Pan Pacs History
2010: Gold, 100m FR & 400m FR-R & 400m MR; Bronze, 100m BK ... 2006: Gold, 100m FR & all three relays; Silver, 50m FR & 100m BK ... 2002: Gold, 100m FR(AR) & 100m BK & 100m FL; Gold, 800m FR-R; Silver, 400m FR-R & 400m MR ... 1999: no medals
SC Worlds History
2010: Gold 100 Bk, Silver 4x100 Fr-R, 4x100 Med-R, Bronze 100 Fr
U.S. Nationals History
2010: 1, 100m BK; 3, 100m FR; 4, 100m FL
2007 World Rankings
13th, 50m FR; 2nd, 100m FR; 3rd, 200m FR; 24th, 400m FR; 3rd, 50m BK; 1st, 100m BK; 7th, 50m FL; 3rd, 100m FL
2006 World Rankings
8th, 50m FR; 5th, 100m FR; 8th, 200m FR; 1st, 100m BK; 3rd, 100m FL; 45th, 200m IM
Personal
Was an Olympic analyst for MSNBC during the 2006 Winter Olympic Games ... Married Ethan Hall in 2009.
Fun Facts
High School
Carondelet HS '00
College
Cal-Berkeley '05
College Major
Psychology
Parents
James and Zennie … father is a police officer, and mother is a Kaiser paralegal
Sibling(s)
Younger sister (Megan) attended UC Davis and was a swimmer
Started Swimming
Age 6
Sports Played Before Swimming
Gymnastics, volleyball
Nickname(s)
Nat
Pet(s)
Two dogs (Shera and Jake) … Shera is a Border Terrier, and Jake is a Boxer
Hobbies Outside the Pool
Cooking; appeared with Al Roker on The Today Show to cook up a pork and persimmon risotto dish (Dec. 2002) … also loves surfing and photography
Ultimate Way to Relax
Enjoying good food and wine
Charities
Women's Sports Foundation and Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids “Kick Butts Day”
More
Wrote a book with Sports Illustrated’s Michael Silver entitled, "Golden Girl: How Natalie Coughlin Fought Back, Challenged Conventional Wisdom, and Became America's Olympic Champion"; it was released in April 2006 ... Was an Olympic analyst for MSNBC during the 2006 Winter Olympic Games ... Appeared on ABC's Dancing with the Stars in 2009
More
Has an extensive dry land training program, which includes pilates and dance classes ... favorite place to be when she isn’t training or competing is in Kauai, Hawaii … first job was working at the Snack Shack at her local pool ... when she was little, wanted to be Whitney Houston ... greatest obstacle she's overcome is a shoulder injury and "burnout"
Favorites
U.S. city: San Francisco ... int'l destination: Sydney ... band: Counting Crows ... summer activity: surfing ... movie: Dogma ... tv: Lost, Nip/Tuck, Heroes