Natalie Coughlin interview

Six is the age at which Olympic gold medalist Natalie Coughlin first began swimming competitively. Six is the number of iPods she owned when I first met her late last year during a west coast Olympic promotional tour. And six is also the number of medals she’s bringing home from the 2008 Beijing Olympics, whose closing ceremonies took place just last night. I caught up with Natalie late last week to ask her about her just-concluded Olympic experiences – and of course to talk some more iPod and iPhone.

You just won six more medals, including two gold, in the Beijing Olympics. Is it fair to say that you surpassed your own expectations?



Although I am very happy with my performances, I definitely did not exceed my expectations. It’s important to aim high. (Also, only one gold.)

You developed the iSH2 for iPod shuffle with H2O Audio. How were you able to use the product for your own Olympic training and  preparation?

There are several different training groups while you are training  prior to the Olympics.  On the days that I was in my own group I used my  iSH2 to help keep the workouts interesting and so I wouldn’t get too  lonely.

Last time we spoke, you said you couldn’t wait to get an iPhone. Have you taken the plunge and what do you think of it so far?

I’ve had the iPhone for quite a while now and just got the new one.  I absolutely love it and all the new Apps are incredibly addictive.

Now that the Olympics are over, what’s next for you?

A nice long break :)

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And for the complete story, here’s the full text of my earlier interview with Natalie from late 2007…

“My first iPod was probably the second generation of the original iPod. I held out for a little bit,” Natalie told me as we sat poolside during a break from a campaign which included promotions for the U.S. Olympic Committee and NBC. Life isn’t always this hectic for her, but the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing are fast approaching and “things are pretty crazy.”

“I have not been to China before but I’ve seen pictures of the facility and it looks like a giant glass bubble. It looks really, really beautiful and I can’t wait to see it,” Natalie said of the Olympic facilities being constructed in Beijing. The 2008 games will be halfway around the world from Athens, the site of the 2004 games where she cleaned up with two gold medals and five medals in all.

Natalie has different goals for Beijing. “I feel like I have less pressure this time, just because the way swimming works is you’re validated through the Olympics and you only have that opportunity every four years. Going into the last Olympics I remember having these interviews where the interviewer would say, oh you have world records and American records but you don’t have that gold, and things like that and it puts so much pressure on me to get that Olympic medal and I feel like I’ve done that. And now I can just focus on myself in the next games.”


Traveling the world means that Natalie reaches for her video iPod the most often, downloading shows including The Office and Ugly Betty and watching them when she finds herself in a part of the world where those shows aren’t available.

While the iPod has played a role in her life for the past five years, swimming has been a part of it for much longer. “When I was six years old I dreamt of being in the Olympics but that really meant nothing at that point. I had no idea what the Olympics even were let alone how you would get there. I was thirteen years old when I realized it was a possibility that I could make the olympic team and I didn’t even think of swimming professionally until that actually happened.”

It was during her junior year of college, right around the launch of the original iPod, that Natalie started to think that she’d continue swimming beyond school and do it for a living. But it wasn’t until recently that she was able to begin taking her iPod with her into the water.

“I just partnered with a company called H2O Audio and they are in the process of developing what’s called the iSH2 and that’s my signature line and it’s an underwater housing for the little shuffle,” making Natalie one of an increasing number of athletes involved in the development of iPod-related products. So far she’s used her iPod during a thirty-minute swimming competition in Fiji.

If the professional athlete’s signature sneaker has now given way to the signature iPod accessory, perhaps it only makes sense when placed in the context of the music itself. Training can be lonely for Natalie, so she relies on music to get her through workouts. As she puts it, “it keeps me going.”

When it comes to music, Natalie finds herself listening to every modern genre but country, with current favorites including Paolo Nutuni and Alicia Keys. But not all of her music fits into every aspect of her life as an athlete: “I love Jack Johnson but I’m not going to listen to his stuff on the day of a meet.”

Along with her current iPods, Natalie wants to make another addition to her collection. “I can’t wait to get an iPhone. I’ve played with it in the stores and that’s about it. And I love it. It’s the coolest thing. I can’t wait because the screen is way bigger and then I’m really into photography, so to have all my photos in such rich color and bigger than on my video iPod.”

Natalie was hired by MSNBC to help cover the 2006 Winter Olympics as a sportscaster. She envisions moving to the broadcast booth full-time at some point, but likely not until after competing in the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. Now at age twenty-five, she’s encouraged by the increasing career lifespan in her sport but eventually wants to have a “normal life” and a family.

One thing isn’t likely to change though. With six iPods already, an iPhone on the way, a MacBook in tow, and a penchant for editing photos in Aperture and cranking out web pages in iWeb, Natalie Coughlin sums it up best herself: “I’m pretty obsessed with Apple products.”