Natalie Coughlin swimmer.(United States)(Column)

Byline: Patricia Marx

There are many reasons I could not be world-class swimmer Natalie Coughlin. One is that there isn't enough room in my apartment for all the awards. Coughlin, who lives in Berkeley, California, with a dog that doesn't like the water, holds five world records, eighteen American records, and twelve NCAA records. She was the first woman to break the one-minute barrier in the 100-meter backstroke and then broke it again a few days later.

Coughlin was about eight months old when she started lessons, and by the time she was six, she was competing in regional races. When asked on a questionnaire whether she liked swimming in meets, six-year-old Coughlin responded, "Yes, because I might win things. No, because I miss Saturday cartoons."

Coughlin was then what she is today: a fierce but amiable competitor who also likes the simple things in life-for instance, food. Since she has so little time, she usually cooks in huge quantities-200 Chinese pot stickers, gallons of soup-and freezes it for later. She explains that she finds cooking relaxing. Not too long ago, she cooked pork tenderloin and persimmon risotto for Al Roker and Katie Couric on the Today show. I wondered if she has other hobbies. "Well," says the 21-year-old, "I love sleeping."

Actually, there hasn't been much time for that either. While competing, she managed to maintain a 3.5 grade point average at the University of California, Berkeley, from which she graduated this year with a degree in psychology. Speedo recently offered her an enviable contract.

While she insists that her academic major wasn't instrumental in her success, her advantage over her opponents has been undeniably mental. The winning secret, she told me, is not strength, not height (at five eight, she's not that much taller than the average swimmer)-but focus: reason number two I ...