In her official return to competitive swimming in 2 weeks after a 3-year hiatus, Natalie Coughlin has been named the team captain of the D.C. Trident of the International Swimming League (ISL). She will be backed-up by vice-captain Cody Miller. The two were voted into their positions by their teammates.
The 37-year old Coughlin last raced at the 2016 US Olympic Trials, where she came up short of the US Olympic Team for the first time since 2000. Coughlin and her husband Ethan Hall (a swim coach in California) had their first child in 2018.
Coughlin is the owner of 12 Olympic medals, which ties her for the most among female American athletes in all sports. That includes 3 golds, having won back-to-back titles in the 100 back in 2004 and 2008. In 2002, she became the first woman ever to break 1 minute in the long course 100 meter backstroke.
While Coughlin has been away from racing for a while, she never declared a formal retirement. She is also a renowned underwater specialist, having been one of the best-ever short course yards swimmers in the NCAA. That will play to her benefit in the first season of the ISL, which will be held entirely in short course meters.
Miller, meanwhile, is a 2-time Olympic medalist, having won gold as part of the American men’s 400 medley relay at the 2016 Olympic Games, and also a bronze medal individually. This summer, the 27-year old Miller took a silver medal in the 100 breaststroke at the Pan American Games. He was also part of the American mixed 400 medley relay that initially won gold but was disqualified after an official called Miller for taking more than the one allotted dolphin kick on his underwater pullout.
Miller has among the biggest reaches of any active swimmer thanks to his YouTube channel, which currently has over 111,000 subscribers.
Current 2019 ISL Roster for the DC Trident:
| Zach Apple | Anika Apostalon |
| Kevin Cordes | Emma Barksdale |
| Abrahm DeVine | Lisa Bratton |
| Ian Finnerty | Natalie Coughlin |
| Zane Grothe | Bethany Galat |
| Zach Harting | Sarah Gibson |
| Robert Howard | Siobhán Haughey |
| Jay Litherland | Tristan Hollard |
| Cody Miller | Madison Kennedy |
| Giles Smith | Katie Ledecky |
| Velimir Stjepanovic | Leah Neale |
| Jérémy Stravius | Leiston Pickett |
| Andreas Vazaios | Brianna Throssell |
| Simona Kubová | |
| Annika Bruhn |
Not hating on Cody but Jay Litherland would have been my vote for men
Back to back 100 free??
So is Natalie Coughlin un-retired now?
She never technically filed retirement paperwork, and she was pretty careful to never specifically use the word “retired.” So I don’t know if she had a return to competition in mind, but I think she technically just had a long break.
In fact, she went so far in her interviews at Trials as to say “I don’t feel the need to say that I’m retired.”
Article specifically adresses this, did you read past the headline?
Two of the greatest dolphin kickers of all time!
L O L
I support Cody but I gotta admit, that was pretty good😂
I entered this page strictly to find this comment.
Coughlin swimming in this is great, I had no idea she would want to compete again at this kind of level. Always fantastic to see one of the greatest ever continue racing.
Can you please elaborate “the level”. Are you talking about minimum level of performance required by contracts? What are you really anticipating to happen there. I would expect leaders like Peaty, Campbell, Pellegrini to swim well. They got paid well already and they will try to convince the rest of the world that ISL is better than FINA. For same reason that she has already gotten paid a great deal of money I don’t expect anything extraordinary from Hosszu. But other swimmers have no reason to be specifically prepared for dual meets.
“the level” to me is a level where swimmers are good enough to meet the contractual times and being good enough that one of the teams wants them. That right there means these folks are top tier on an international level. Do I expect to see world record falling every meet? No. Do I hope to see some really good races on a team and individual level? Definitely. Do I think someone like Coughlin still knows how to race? Definitely.
We all know you’ve got a love affair with FINA but this can only be good for the sport
does Tusup pay you every time you rip Hosszu down a peg? Only you would find a way to tie in a comment on Coughlin with Hosszu…
Oh look. Yozhik is triggered again.
“This level” meaning, competing against the best in the world, not like say, masters swimming or something. I can’t imagine Coughlin is going to show up and go 1:03 or something for 100SCM back – I bet she’ll be legitimately fast here.
*Incomming angry Swimswam commentors about Cody going to DQ the team*
When did Cody DQ?
Relay at world university games I think
Pan American Games*
Wasn’t sure which one
* which ones.
Also short course World Champs 2016.