Coughlin Natalie - Golden girl: how Nathalie Coughlin fought back, challenged conventional wisdom, and became Americas Olympic champion

FOR NATALIE SILVER,
MY OWN GOLDEN GIRL
IM AWED BY YOUR DIGNITY,
SWEETNESS, BRILLIANCE,
AND FIGHTING SPIRIT,
IN STILL WATERS
OR GNARLY SURF.

S pending hours soaking up the sunshine on an outdoor pool deck while watching bikini-clad coeds tone their athletic physiques is treacherous duty, so I should start by thanking my fantastic wife, Leslie, for greenlighting this project, and Teri McKeever for giving me access, trust, time, and insight into an incredible sport.

When I wasnt learning from Teri or her swimmers, I was soaking up knowledge from Whitney Hite, Jen Strasburger, Carol Capitani, Dave Salo, Adam Crossen, Tom McCook, and Milt Nelms. Thanks especially to Whitney and Milt for making me aware of such diverse philosophical approaches and explaining them in terms that even a football writer can grasp. And a big shout-out to McCall Dorr for her incisive portrayal of the aquatic experience.

Now that I understand at least a little about the sports demands, I have mad respect for the many student-athletes with whom I got to hang. Thanks to all of the Golden Bear swimmers, especially: Gina Merlone, whose brilliant books I will someday enjoy; Helen and Emily Silver, my faux nieces and future world rulers; Marcelle Miller, for her principle and passion; Lauren Medina, for bringing salsa picante to the pool and beyond; Amy Ng, the ultimate high achiever; Erin Reilly, grinding in the water and grinning outside of it; Emma Palsson, everyones favorite Swede, and for good reason; Lisa Morelli, for her kindness and enthusiasm; Ashley Chandler, high-energy rock and roll; Kate Tiedeman, chopping down the Tree with a smile; Erin Calder, nobody yells louder; Kelly Sanders, Micha Burden, Keiko Amano, Rachel Ridgeway, and the rest of you water warriors. Thanks also to Haley Clark, Leah Monroe, and honorary Bear Keiko Price for the generous contributions to Natalies story.

The Cal athletic department is blessed with some profoundly dedicated and dynamic people, beginning with my friend and former study partner Mohammed Muqtar, the de facto mayor of Berkeley and a huge reason that this project got started in the first place. Thanks also to Steve Gladstone, Mark Stephens, Teresa Kuehn, Sandy Barbour, Foti Mellis, Karen Moe Humphreys, Beth Nitzberg, Dayna Sannazzaro, Herb Benenson, Bob Rose, Josh Flushman, and so many of you others (you know who you are) at Gods University. A big high-five to unofficial Cal sports minister Adam Duritz for hangin around, and to all of the littlegamers and other athletic supporters who do our school so proud.

Even before she presented me with the most beautifully ridiculous hat ever conceieved, Kathie Wickstrand-Gahen enlightened me about the sport of swimming in general, and her very special friend in particular.

I am eternally indebted to the Coughlin family (Jim, Zennie, Megan, Chuck, and Zennie Bohn) for their kindness and generosity during an intensely charged time. They and the rest of our Athens entourageEthan Hall, Tom Griffin, and of course the iconic Dan (The Man) Pedonewere ambassadors of good will.

In addition to keeping a watchful eye over Natalies affairs, the genuine and outstanding Janey Millerwith help from Michael (Keep Silver Away From My Gold Shoes) Johnsonhad my back in Greece when I was flat on it.

I am thrilled to be represented by the unparalleled David Black, whose awesome agency (with the help of his colleagues Gary Morris, Jason Sacher, and David Larabell) is a writers dream, and whose vision and determination made this book a reality.

Similarly, I owe a huge debt of gratitude to the good people of Rodale (Steve Murphy, Heidi Rodale, Emily Williams, Jeremy Katz, Jessica Roth, and so many others) for believing in this project and getting it in fighting shape.

When Im not hanging out on pool decks, Im Sports Illin like a villain, and Im grateful to the Powers That Be (Terry McDonell, Norm Pearlstine, John Huey, et al) for their support. Thanks also to my football homies (Mark Godich, Mark Mravic, Peter King, Paul Zimmerman, Jeff Chadiha, Nunyo Demasio) for making life on the NFL beat grand, and to colleagues like George Dohrmann, Seth Davis, and Austin Murphy for helping me to stay somewhat sane.

Mike Fleiss, Rick Telander, Richard Weiner, Josh Elliott, Jarrett Bell, Karen Tongson, Mychael Urban, Groz, Gas, and Kate Troescher are among the highly creative friends whose work inspires me on those late-night caffeine binges. And Julie Foudy, Brandi Chastain, Mia Hamm, and Kristina Thorson are among the women from whose athletic brilliance I derive so much enduring pleasure.

Those closest to me made major sacrifices in the course of this endeavor, and everything I do or am starts with my boundless love for Leslie, Natalie, Greg, Robbie, and Dr. J. Mom, Dad, Elizabeth, Mark, Sofia, Ava, Barbara, Larry, the overflowing and outstanding Goyette clan; my awesome aunts, uncles, and cousins; and all the friends who havent yet fledthanks so much for being there. And our family would especially like to thank all the awesome healers in our lives, including Dr. Suruchi Bhatia, Dr. Nicole Glaser, Dr. Lenny Dragone, and Dr. Mary Jones.

Finally, in addition to being a fascinating interview subject, Natalie Coughlin is a great person whose faith, intelligence, and openness were the most important elements of this project. She has the dignity, grace, and self-awareness of a grandmother and the appetite of a teenager; some of the meals we shared were as memorable as the swims. Working with her could not have been more fun, and watching her fulfill her dreams was one of the coolest things Ive ever witnessed.

I eagerly await the encore in Beijing.

S he came shooting off the wall like a human torpedo, gliding through the water with cold, relentless precision. Unleashing her incomparable, undulating dolphin kicks, Natalie Coughlin began to pull away from the field in the 100-meter backstroke, popping to the surface nearly a body length ahead of her closest pursuer. From that prime vantage pointwith a picturesque view of the Athens sunset, a mere 35 meters between her and redemptionCoughlin was as good as gold.

The most talented female swimmer of her generation took a deep breath and closed in on the prize shed been chasing for more than a decade. Six days shy of her 22nd birthday, Coughlin propelled herself backward through Lane 4, seven competitors and untold degrees of doubt, pain, and disappointment in her wake. Get to the wall, and she would forever be an Olympic champion, the haters and the traditionalists be damned. Just a dozen or so more strokes and shed finish a 4-year struggle for self-determination that summoned every ounce of will in her being.

Just 25 meters to go, then 20, and the only question seemed to be whether Coughlin would break her own world record. Six thousand fans at the Athens Aquatic Center were cheering her home; tens of millions more would experience the suspense on television. And then Oh, no. This cannot be happening. Coughlin felt an energy crash coming onthat insidious, instant loss of zip that every swimmer dreads. She grimaced as the lactic acid ripped through her leg muscles; instinctively, she bit down on her lower lip to combat the pain.

The last time this happened, in the final individual race of Coughlins unmatched collegiate career, she had appeared so dead in the water that her father, Jim, a police sergeant in her working-class northern California hometown of Vallejo, had barely fought back the urge to race from the stands to rescue his little girl. On that March 2004 night in College Station, Texas, site of the NCAA Championships, Coughlin had been passed by two swimmers down the stretch of the 200-meter backstrokethe only time in 4 years the University of California, Berkeley, superstar had lost a meaningful race. Now, 5 months later, the nightmare was happening again.