Coughlin sets six-gold target in Beijing

Enlarge Photo Natalie Coughlin swims at the U.S. Olympic Swimming Trials in Omaha, Nebraska, in this July...

Wed, Jul 23 12:03 AM

By Julian Linden

SYDNEY (Reuters) - Natalie Coughlin is one of the most versatile female swimmers in the world and has set herself the target of winning six gold medals in Beijing.

If she achieves her dream, she will match the record haul for a woman at a single Olympics, set by East German swimmer Kristin Otto at Seoul in 1988.

The odds are stacked against Coughlin winning all six but she does have a great chance of winning medals in the lot, which would make her the most successful American female, in any sport, at a single Olympics.

She already is joint holder of the record of five medals, including two golds she won in Athens four years ago.

The 25-year-old will swim in three individual events in Beijing - the 100 metres backstroke, 100 metres freestyle and 200 metres individual medley - plus the three relays.

As the defending champion and world record holder, she is the overwhelming favourite to win the backstroke gold but faces a tougher task in her other two events, where she is among a handful of major contenders.

Coughlin, who holds a university degree in psychology, probably could have swum more events.

She dropped the 100 butterfly despite finishing third at last year's world championships because past experiences convinced her not to overburden herself.

Despite all her success, Coughlin's career has been dogged by bad luck.

She missed selection for the 2000 Sydney Olympics after a shoulder injury. The setback proved a blessing in disguise because she increased the power in her legs while she was unable to use her arms in training.

She won her first world title in the 100 backstroke in Japan in 2001 and a year later she became the first woman to break a minute for the event.

In 2002, Coughlin showed her versatility when she became the first person since Tracy Caulkins in 1978 to win five titles at the U.S. national championships. She claimed the 100 and 200 freestyle, 100 and 200 backstroke and 100 butterfly.

But she was struck down by a virus at the 2003 world championships in Barcelona and failed to win a medal in any of her individual events, although she did manage two relay medals.

That experience convinced her to cut back on her events in Athens so she restricted herself to the 100 backstroke, 100 freestyle plus the three relays.

It proved a wise move. She won a medal in each event, including gold in the 100 backstroke and 4x200 freestyle relay, becoming just the third American woman to win five medals at a single Olympics.

She suffered a rare defeat in the backstroke when she finished third at the 2005 world championships in Montreal when not completely fit, but recovered to win the title in 2007 and break her own world record three times this year.

(Editing by Robert Woodward)

(For more stories visit our multimedia website "Road to Beijing" at http://www.reuters.com/news/sports/2008olympics; and see our blog at http://blogs.reuters.com/china)

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