Zimbabwe's Coventry sets WR in 100 backstroke semifinals; Coughlin's reign as Olympic champion could be in jeopardy

Natalie Coughlin's last loss in a championship heat of the women's 100-meter backstroke was Aug. 17, 2006, at the Pan Pacific Championships in Canada.

The defeat is significant because it might be used as a reference point should Coughlin come up short in her bid to become the first repeat Olympic champion in event history Tuesday morning.

Zimbabwe's Kirsty Coventry, who attended Auburn and regularly trains in Texas, took down Coughlin's world record Monday morning, clocking 58.77 seconds in the semifinals at the National Aquatics Center, aka "The Water Cube."

Coughlin, who has won seven consecutive championship races since losing to Japan's Hanae Ito two years ago, won her heat in 59.43. But Coventry -- who finished a second behind Coughlin that day at the Pan Pacs in Canada -- produced a mark that was two-tenths faster than Coughlin's former global standard, set at the U.S. Olympic trials.

Coughlin also lost to Ito in the semifinals at last year's World Championships in Melbourne, Australia, before rebounding to set a world record en route to winning gold.

But the semifinals marked the second consecutive race that Coventry, a former world-record holder in the 200 backstroke, posted a faster time than Coughlin, including a head-to-head victory in Sunday night's prelims, in which Coventry produced an Olympic record of 59.00.

Coughlin defeated Coventry 1:00.37 to 1:00.50 in the final in Athens.

Only five women recorded sub-minute times in the semifinals, with Japan's Reiko Nakamura putting herself in the medal hunt with a 59.64. Russia's Anastasia Zueva took second in Coventry's heat, albeit a second slower (59.77), and American Margaret Hoelzer -- the 200 backstroke world-record holder -- also appears to be capable of challenging for the bronze after clocking 59.84.

Great Britain's Gemma Spofforth was third in the first heat (59.79) behind Coughlin and Nakamura.