When it came down to it, I performed when it mattered the most in the Olympic finals, I was able to win gold. But going into '08, I was definitely one of the top competitors, but I wasn't the one-and-only favorite - there was a girl who broke my world record in the semifinals of the race. That seems like a great thing going into an event, but really, there's so much pressure when you're the favorite. In 2004, I was the hands-down favorite in that event. How did winning the first gold in 2004 feel compared to winning the six medals you picked up in 2008? So the benefits really outweigh any obstacles or sacrifices I have to make. I get to be a professional athlete as my job, be outdoors and working out as my job, and I get to travel the world and represent my country. Having the discipline to lead a lifestyle that way is what separates us.ĭoes that make you crazy on a day to day basis, thinking that way about the meals you eat, the way you spend your time? When it comes to our everyday lives, professional athletes and Olympic athletes realize that not only is it the training that matters, but it's every choice, 365 days a year, 24 hours a day, ultimately effects how you're going to compete. If you put us in a situation where we compete, we compete to the best of our abilities. There's just something in our DNA that makes us the consummate competitors like, we have to compete, whether it's at cards, or at swimming, or if it's ping-pong - it really doesn't matter. It's really, we are ultra-competitive in everything we do. Can you pinpoint anything that differentiates an Olympic swimmer from a top college swimmer or a top high-school swimmer? I had a lot of success in a really short amount of time at that age, and I was already competing with some of the best in the country, so that was when I realized that I could actually do it.Īt this point, you've basically competed and succeeded at all the highest levels of your support. When I was 13, that was the first time I went to nationals, and it was the first time that I had finals at nationals. What at that point made you realize that you might be good enough to reach that level of success? As a swimmer, that's what you want to do, you know? So that's when I started to make it a goal, but when it became a tangible goal was at about 13. But when I was 6, my friends and I all said we were going to be Olympians, because the Seoul games were going on at that time, so the Olympics were all over television. Well, realistically, I would say when I was 13. I spoke to her over the phone as she prepares for London.Īt one point did you first think realistically, "Wow - I could actually be an Olympic athlete? In addition to her success as a swimmer, Coughlin's one of America's most popular Olympians, and she's been on Dancing With the Stars, Iron Chef, and posed in Sports Illustrated. The 2012 London Games will be her third time representing the United States in the world's greatest international competition, and she'll be aiming to add to her total of 11 medals: 3 gold, 4 silver, and 4 bronze.
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