Most of the United States has yet to watch any pat of the 2012 Olympics, but perhaps one of the most decorated Olympians of all time will get one more chance to swim a final to get that 12th medal directly.
Natalie Coughlin participated in the one event she was expected to participate in, the 4 x 100 meter freestyle relay. Although she was only expected to swim int he prelims, Coughlin surprised everyone by swimming the fastest split of all the U.S. swimmers with a 53.9 second 100 meter cut that could put her in competition to be one of the final swimmers in tonight's final heat. USA will have a tough choice among Amanda Weir, Allison Schmitt and Coughlin to put in the finals with Jessica Hardy and Missy Franklin.
The United States finished second overall in the heats behind Australia (click here for the overall results from NBCOlympics.com). Regardless of whether Coughlin is selected for the final team or not, if the United States wins a medal, Coughlin will win that 12th medal that would equal her with the well-decorated Jenny Thompson.
Talk about Coughlin with Cal fans by heading on over to the California Golden Blogs.
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