Natalie Coughlin wins gold, Margaret Hoelzer wins bronze in 100m backstroke

This article was originally on a blog post platform and may be missing photos, graphics or links. See About archive blog posts.

BEIJING -- Natalie Coughlin earned the gold medal in the women’s 100-meter backstroke event at the National Aquatics Center on Tuesday morning.

Coughlin was joined on the podium by teammate Margaret Hoelzer, who won the bronze.

Coughlin posted a time of 58.96 seconds, edging Zimbabwe’s Kirsty Coventry by 0.23. Hoelzer touched the wall in 59.34 seconds. Coughlin went out strong, making the turn at 28.58, a full 0.40 seconds ahead of Coventry.

Hoelzer was fifth at the turn, but covered the return leg in 29.02 to surge to the medal stand.