Golden Girl

The story of Natalie Coughlins remarkable battle back from injury and burnout to be-come Americas Golden Girl—a two-time Olympic Gold Medal winner in swimming and the most decorated female athlete at the 2004 Olympics

Five years ago, Natalie Coughlins 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 womens 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 Illustrateds Michael Silver—coauthor of many bestselling sports memoirs—including Dennis Rodmans, Kurt Warners, and Jerry Rices—tells the story of Natalies 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.