Natalie Coughlin

Natalie Coughlin has just gotten a gold meedal fo (http://www.swimpassion.net/Athletes/nataliecoughlin.html)

Natalie Coughlin was born on August 23, 1982 to Jim and Zennie Coughlin in Vallejo, California. She started swimming when she was ten months old at the YMCA. She married a Crow Canyon Shark's coach, Ethan Hall. She has a bachelor's degree in psychology at the University of California in Berkeley. She is now living in California where she trains hard every day.

Natalie Coughlin made appearences at the 2004 and 2008 Olympics. She has world records in doing the 100m backstroke. She is the first woman to win six medals in a single olympics. She kept first place in the 100m backstroke for two straight olympics. She is also the Female Athlete of the year at the Golden Goggles awards.

I chose Natalie Coughlin because she inspired me to swim better at backstroke which is my worst stroke. Over the years I have gotten better at it thanks to her first place medals at the olympics. She is important to me because she was the first female swimming athlete I had heard of when I started swimming in the swim team in third grade.