Travels from California, USA
Natalie Coughlin's speaking fee falls within range: $15,000 to $20,000
Natalie Coughlin has positioned herself as one of the most exciting and marketable athletes in today’s world, as well as one of the most talented swimmers in history. Twelve-time Olympic medalist, she combines power, speed, and beauty.
Coughlin started swimming when she was 10-months-old. While in high school, she was a favorite for the 2000 Olympic team; however an untimely shoulder injury held back her performance and she failed to qualify in the trials. Focused on swimming as a means to pay for university, she underwent physical therapy and continued competing. While on a scholarship at U.C. Berkley, Coughlin worked with coach Teri McKeever who introduced her to a more effective holistic style of training. Coughlin regained her focus and ambition; within her first year at Berkley she won five national titles, broke two American collegiate records, and seized the 2001 World Championship title in the backstroke.
Currently, Coughlin is competing and training with her eyes on the 2016 Olympics. Her total of twelve Olympic medals tie her with Jenny Thompson and Dara Torres for the most all-time number of Olympic medals won by an American woman.
One of the most well-rounded swimmers ever, Natalie Coughlin combines power, speed and beauty. One of the poster faces of the 2004 USA Olympic team, Coughlin bought pride to her nation with her performance. Coughlin left the 2004 Olympic Games as the most decorated female athlete, having won a total of five medals. At the 2007 World Championships, the biggest international swimming event leading up to the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, China, Coughlin finished as the world’s most decorated female swimmer in World Championship history. Coughlin’s success at the 2007 World Championships followed her to Beijing, where at the 2008 Olympics, she won an astounding 6 medals, a first for any woman athlete at the games.
Coughlin was also a recent contestant on the popular reality show Dancing with the Stars, which in its most recent season has been the 3rd highest ranked show on television. Coughlin wowed over 17 million viewers weekly on the Emmy award-winning show with her athlete’s ability to conquer difficult dances like the bolero and salsa.
Coughlin has positioned herself as one of the most exciting and marketable athletes in today’s world, as well as one of the most talented swimmers in history.
Natalie Coughlin tells about how she almost gave up on swimming when a shoulder injury at age 17 crushed her Olympic aspirations. She reveals that it was only through her U.C. Berkley’s quality-over-quantity training style that she was able to rekindle her love for the sport and go on to become one of the most decorated women in swimming history.
“Being present in the moment became a big theme in my training,” Coughlin claims. “It wasn’t just about going long and hard; it was training smarter while training hard. So what does training smarter mean?...When I was younger I got through those fifty or sixty miles in the pool by daydreaming or singing a song in my head and there was a complete disconnect between mind and body. I worked on the physical side of training and I wasn’t really working on the mental side. I learned as I got older that being present in the moment was the most effective use of my time. This allowed me to train myself physically as well as mentally.”
“Something I’ve learned in my twenty-five years as an athlete is that success doesn’t always come when you want it to. All you can do is prepare.” Natalie Coughlin talks about her training regimen for the 2016 Olympic games after passing age 30, the stereotypical retirement age for a woman in competitive swimming. She responds to some of the reactions she received concerning her decision to continue her career. “When people assumed that I was going to retire, it’s kind of that sexist thing. You’re turning thirty. You’re married. You should be having babies. I’m not going to waste any time getting irritated. I’m enjoying my time training really hard.”
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