Olympics: Natalie Coughlin joins NBC coverage of the Rio Games

Natalie Coughlin, center, is welcomed by hosts Raj Mathai and Janelle Wang.

NBC BAY AREA announced that 12-time Olympic medalist Natalie Coughlin will join the station's coverage of the 2016 Rio Olympic Games. 

Coughlin, a native of the Bay Area, will join NBC Bay Area anchors Raj Mathai and Janelle Wang to make up a rare television occurrence, an all-Asian/American panel covering the Olympics.

In the initial telecast, the two veteran anchors, Raj Mathai and Janelle Wang, promised to delve into Couglin's Filipino/American heritage. 

The team will be together throughout the Olympics during the station's 6 p.m. newscast for The Olympic Moment of the Day with Natalie Coughlin, a special segment where they will discuss an unexpected winner or moment of the day. Topics will be driven by the Olympic stories that emerge from each day and can range anywhere from an Olympic athlete winning against all odds, to a historical record-breaking moment.

"We're thrilled to bring Natalie's expertise to our Olympic coverage and provide our viewers with specific details and insights of the moments they can't miss from the perspective of an Olympian," said Rich Cerussi, President and General Manager of NBC Bay Area. "She knows what it is like to train hard, comeback from a setback, and be a champion."

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Coughlin is the first American female athlete to win six medals in one Olympic Games and is also the first woman ever to win a 100m backstroke gold in two consecutive Olympic Games. She attended U.C. Berkeley where she became the first woman to swim the 100-meter backstroke in less than a minute. At the 2012 Olympic Games in London, Coughlin tied for the most medals of any female Olympian in history.

NBC Bay Area / KNTV Owned by NBCUniversal, NBC Bay Area / KNTV can be seen locally on Comcast 3 and 703 and over-the-air on 11. COZI TV, the station's digital network, offers a full schedule of America's most beloved and iconic television series, hit movies and original programming. Cozi TV can be seen locally on Comcast 186 and over-the-air on 11.3.

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