Aug 14, 2008 9:12 pm US/Pacific
Lafayette's Coughlin Wins 5 Medals At Olympics
BEIJING (CBS 5 / AP / BCN) ―
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Natalie Coughlin of Lafayette celebrates her gold medal win in the 100m backstroke final at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games.
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Bay Area resident Natalie Coughlin is making a big splash at the 2008 Summer Olympic games in Beijing, China.
Coughlin, who will be 26 on Aug. 23, has won five medals — a gold, silver and three bronze in swimming events so far during this year's Olympics. The performance equals her haul from four years ago in Athens, Greece.
In her most recent medal win, Coughlin earned the bronze Friday in the 100-meter freestyle in 53.39 seconds for the second consecutive Olympics.
Earlier this week, she won the gold medal in the women's 200m backstroke, the silver in the women's 4x100m Freestyle Relay, the bronze in the women's 200 Individual Medley and the bronze medal in the 4x200m Freestyle Relay.
Coughlin has lived in Vallejo, Concord and most recently in Lafayette.
She attended the University of California, Berkeley and won two gold medals, two silver medals and one bronze medal at the 2004 Olympic games in Athens.
From 1996 to 2000, she was a varsity swimmer at Concord's Carondelet High School.
Sister Eleanor Eagan, the current school historian who was in charge of admissions at the time, said she admitted Coughlin and has followed her career.
"I've really followed Natalie all along,'' Eagan said. "It's not surprising given the kind of person she is.''
She said that Coughlin's parents and grandparents accompanied her to Beijing and that they are "thrilled.''
Coughlin has made several trips back to Carondelet since graduating, attending a class reunion and fundraising event, Eagan said.
(© CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. The Associated Press and Bay City News contributed to this report.)
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