Olympic Swim Champ Conquers Beijing, Now She’s Headed to the Altar

America’s Olympic swimming sweetheart Natalie Coughlin has a lot to be happy about. The California native, who will turn 26 on August 23, won an impressive six medals at the Beijing Olympics and already has her sights set on the 2012 London games.

Now that her Olympic swimming races are over, Natalie can focus on the other rings that matter: the wedding bands she and her fiancé well soon be picking out. Shortly before leaving for Beijing, Natalie’s long-time boyfriend Ethan Hall proposed after a day at the beach in California. Ethan and Natalie met while swimming together in high school. Ethan’s proposal, which he had been anticipating for days while trying to find the right moment, was completely unexpected: “He was planning to propose on the beach but it was a little too windy and too cold to comfortably sit down anywhere.  We went home and built a fire in the pit in the backyard and that's when he proposed.  I was completely surprised and I love the ring that he chose,” she said.

Let’s hope she has time to take a training break to plan her wedding!