n the coming year, many eyes will be focusing on swimming phenom Michael Phelps as he leads the U.S. team into the 2004 Olympics. On the women’s side, though, there is a rising star perhaps as equally as impressive.
Her name is Natalie Coughlin. Much like Phelps, Coughlin’s versatility and strength are earning her praise as arguably the world’s best all-around woman swimmer.
“She’s the most talented female swimmer I’ve ever seen,” says 2000 Olympic coach Richard Quick of Stanford University. “She’s poised to become the cornerstone of the 2004 Olympic team.”
Coughlin, who missed the 2000 Olympics because of a shoulder injury, undoubtedly has been the hottest female swimmer in the world since 2002.
For starters, she became the first swimmer since Tracy Caulkins in 1978 to win five U.S. national titles at one meet when she captured the 100- and 200-meter freestyle events, 100 and 200 backstroke and 100 butterfly last August in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
Top U.S. Swimmers for the 2004 Olympics
• Jenny Thompson and Kara Lynn Joyce, sprint freestyle
• Natalie Coughlin and Lindsay Benko, middle freestyle
• Diana Munz, Kaitlin Sandeno and Brooke Bennett (shoulder injury), distance freestyle
• Coughlin, Haley Cope and Margaret Hoelzer, backstroke
• Coughlin, Thompson, Mary DeScenza, Misty Hyman (coming back from injury) and Sandeno, butterfly
• Maggie Bowen and Sandeno, individual medley
• Amanda Beard, Kristy Kowal, Tara Kirk and Megan Quann, breast stroke
Source: USA Swimming
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In winning the 100 backstroke, Coughlin, just a week shy of her 20th birthday at the time, set a world record when she became the first woman to break one minute (59.58).
Later that summer, the three-time NCAA swimmer of the year from University of California-Berkeley followed her stellar national showing with a more impressive Pan Pacific Games performance, tying Australian Ian Thorpe for the most medals with six.
Among her catches: gold medals in all three of her individual events (100 free, 100 back and 100 fly) and in the 800-free relay, and two silvers in the 400-meter free and medley relays. In the 100 free, Coughlin became the first American woman to swim the event in under 54 seconds (53.99).
With Coughlin expected to anchor the team in Athens (the Olympic trials will be July 7-14, 2004, in Long Beach, Calif.), the U.S. should dominate in the sprint backstrokes (50 and 100). But the strongest stroke by far is the breast stroke, where as many as four women have a chance to medal. That group features Amanda Beard, Kristy Kowal, Tara Kirk and Megan Quann.
Just like the men’s squad, the women’s medley relay will be tough to beat.
Overall, under the direction of longtime University of Southern California coach Mark Schubert, and with Coughlin leading the charge, the women could take home several individual and relay golds.
That may be what’s most impressive about Coughlin: her all-around talent.
“She’s the first female American swimmer in years to break world records,” says Janet Evans, former world-record holder, Olympic gold medalist and winner of the 1989 Sullivan Award, which honors America’s top amateur athlete. “World records are tough in the sport of swimming. They stand the test of time and prove that you are the athlete in your sport. Performances like hers don’t come along every day.
“I think the records, and the fact that she’s been so dominant in a lot of different events, are what make her so special,” Evans adds. “She’s very versatile. That’s the kind of versatility that makes an amazing swimmer, someone who will be remembered forever.”
