"Natalie Anne Coughlin (born August 23, 1982) is an American international swimmer and twelve-time Olympic medalist. At the 2008 Summer Olympics, Coughlin became the first American female athlete in modern Olympic history to win six medals in one Olympics, the first woman ever to win a 100-meter backstroke gold in two consecutive Olympics, and is the first woman to ever swim the 100-meter backstroke in under one minute. Coughlin's success has earned her the World Swimmer of the Year Award one time and American Swimmer of the Year Award three times. She has won a total of forty-eight medals in major international competition, twenty-one gold, seventeen silver, and ten bronze spanning the Olympics, the World, and the Pan Pacific Championships. She is a member of the 2012 United States Olympic team and competed in the 4x100-meter freestyle relay event at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, where she earned a bronze medal. Her twelve Olympic medals tie her with Jenny Thompson and Dara Torres for the most all-time by an American woman." -Wikipedia. Ad from July 2012.