Coughlin: Boogie woogie
Olympic swimming champion Natalie Coughlin became the latest victim of what some are calling the ‘Curse of the Dancing Swimmer’ after being eliminated from Dancing With the Stars.
Dancing With the Stars, the American version of celebrity dating show Strictly Come Dancing, has previously featured a number of Olympic gold medallists, but three-time winner Coughlin became the least successful among that group after becoming the sixth celebrity to be voted out.
The former backstroke world record holder’s poor performance exactly matches that of Britain’s Mark Foster who was also the sixth person to be eliminated when he competed in Strictly Come Dancing. Foster, 61, scored 16 out of a possible 40, somewhat lower than the 22 managed by Coughlin.
The theory that swimmers are cursed with an inability to dance has previously been suggested by both geneticists and anyone who has attended a swimming club Christmas party.
‘I definitely wasn’t a dancer coming into this.’ confirmed Coughlin who, unlike Foster, resisted the urge to take off her top after being voted out.
