Natalie Coughlin

Having held the title of American Swimmer of the Year thrice, California born champion swimmer Natalie Coughlin is an inspiration for all the budding swimmers out there. She stands neck to neck with Olympians Jenny Thompson and Dara Torres in the fact that all three have a career medal tally of 12. Strangely, she was close to missing her spot in the national team when she finished 6th in the qualifying rounds.