Golden Girl: How Natalie Coughlin Fought Back, Challenged Conventional Wisdom, and Became America's Olympic Champion (Hardcover)

~ (Author), Natalie Coughlin (Author) "The foreign journalist took the microphone, stood up in a crowded press conference, and, in perfect English, asked Natalie Coughlin a pointed question..." (more)
Key Phrases: United States, Long Beach, Olympic Trials (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

This story of professional swimmer and 2004 Olympic gold medalist Natalie Coughlin personalizes an athlete's strife on her way to the top, her fight against those predicting her fall and her internal struggles against illness, injury and the pressures of the sport. Perhaps "the most talented woman swimmer of her generation," Coughlin found herself facing questions from the press like, "How does it feel to dishonor your country?" following her harsh defeat in the 2003 FINA World Championship preliminaries-brought on by illness-that immediately preceded her Olympic victory. Tracking her progress from college on, the book has a scenic, nonlinear organization that makes it a bit confusing, but includes fascinating behind-the-scenes stories of Coughlin's coach Teri McKeever, her competition, her actor/football player father and his twin, and the training strategies involved in making a world-class athlete. Rich in detail, this a dramatic and humanizing portrait of an iconic American athlete.
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Product Description

Five years ago, Natalie Coughlin+s promising swimming career was all but extinguished when a devastating shoulder injury ended her dreams for the 2000 Olympics. After becoming, at age 15, the first person ever to qualify for all 14 women+s events at the U.S. Nationals, she seemed destined to follow the path of so many other young swimming stars-devoured by an oppressive training schedule.In Golden Girl, Sports Illustrated+s Michael Silver-coauthor of many bestselling sports memoirs-including Dennis Rodman+s, Kurt Warner+s, and Jerry Rice+s-tells the story of Natalie+s remarkable journey back from the brink. With complete access to her family, friends, coaches, teammates, and adversaries, Silver details how she made the crucial choice to train with University of California coach Teri McKeever. Together the two, star and coach, have defied long-standing training methods, forcing the swimming community to rethink the ways in which it treats its talent. An inspirational story of a complex and courageous young athlete, Golden Girl is also a fascinating portrait of the fractious world of competitive swimming.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 264 pages
• Publisher: Rodale Books (April 18, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1594862540
• ISBN-13: 978-1594862540
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (24 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #80,880 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Piqued my interest in alternative training techniques, January 31, 2007

By	K. Vern (Michigan USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Based on the other comments, I thought this book would be a litany of complaints by Natalie. I assumed she would really bash her old coach. Instead, he is mentioned mostly in the context of the difference between his training philosophy and that of Teri McKeever. Ray Mitchell occupies part of a chapter. This leads me to believe that those who are outraged must not have taken the time to read the book.

That being said, I thought the book was more about the Cal swim season with a focus on Natalie and McKeever. It was a fascinating look at a different approach to swimming - focus on technique, workout variety and team building. As one of the many burned out former age groupers who swam lot of 10K+ workouts, I think the whole swimming world should celebrate that coaches such as McKeever and Salo are willing to try something new. Natalie and the Cal swim program are proof that there is more to swim training than piling up yardage. This is really inspiring. I used to worry about whether I was doing the right thing by introducing my children to this sport. This book has helped to re-ignite my love for competitive swimming.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars how unfortunate, December 4, 2009

By	solaola "solaola" - See all my reviews

This book purports to be a story of success that arises from overcoming obstacles. It's pretty sad when you have to create them in order to sell books.

She's had a picture-perfect and drama-free life. A shoulder injury? Boo-hoo. Most serious athletes suffer injuries. Without the purely fictional drama from her Terrapin days, there is absolutely no story here. And given the fact that everyone in her swimming group from that time apparently came out 100% against her and 100% supporting Terrapins, it's a pretty sad thing she did.

If anything, this is the story of an ungrateful, selfish girl. She needs to grow up and recognize her own agency instead of blaming others for everything. Too bad that probably won't happen (if at all) until she disappears into anonymity (which I guess will be soon). As someone who used to admire her swimming ability, I can honestly say that if she had stuck with Terrapins instead of playing her games, she might have been as big as Michael Phelps. Thank goodness she isn't, and the swimming world has much better role models to look to! What ever happened to the good ol' days of Janet Evans and Summer Sanders and Jenny Thompson? People like that never would have sold their soul for money and "fame." Nice legacy she's built for herself. What a shame.

If you want teenage resentment played out in the form of a cruel blame game, then this book is for you.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Choose another book if you want to read about Natalie., November 29, 2009

By	GT (Toronto, Canada) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

I purchased this book to find out about Natalie's swimming career and how she was able to achieve success in swimming and her Olympic accomplishments. Instead I found the writer, Michael Silver, writing more about the coach, McKeever and the other swimmers under McKeever's tutelage. There is not much about Natalie in this book but rather more is written about the others around her. I am extremly disappointed in this book and would not recommend it if you want to read about Natlalie's life and swimming career.