INSIDE THE RINGS CONTACT OLYMPICS COLUMNIST ERIK BOAL AT ERIK.BOAL(AT)DAILYNEWS.COM.

Byline: - Erik Boal

Coughlin, Sandeno answer critics Natalie Coughlin and Kaitlin Sandeno will be headed to Columbia, Mo., in a month for the second leg of Toyota's seven-meet Grand Prix swimming series.

The former California prep and Pacific-10 Conference standouts will have plenty of momentum following their performances at the Toyota Southern California Grand Prix in Long Beach.

The U.S. Olympians arrived at the Belmont Plaza pool with plenty to prove.

Coughlin, a Carondelet of Concord and Cal graduate, was coming off a rare loss in the 100-meter long-course backstroke -- the event in which she is the world-record holder -- to Japan's Hanae Ito at the Pan Pacific Championships in Canada in August.

Sandeno, a standout at El Toro of Lake Forest and USC, was left off the U.S. national team roster for the FINA World Championships in Melbourne, Australia, in March following a disappointing performance at the U.S. summer nationals in August in Irvine.

They both answered their critics in resounding fashion.

``It's Day 20 on the road for us, and I'm exhausted,'' said Sandeno, who arrived in Long Beach after three weeks of altitude training in Mexico with her Club Wolverine teammates. ``I didn't really know what to expect. I knew I was going to be tired, but I knew I had put in good training, so I'm really encouraged with where I'm at.''

Sandeno and Coughlin both won fiveevents, but Sandeno received the women's high-point award Monday following her victory in the 200-yard individual medley based on qualifying for the championship heat in two additional races.

But it was Coughlin who produced the lone American record-setting effort of the four-day meet, lowering her own standard in the 200 freestyle Sunday.

She followed it with two victories Monday, winning the 100 butterfly and 100 backstroke less than 15 minutes apart.

``I don't want to specialize in anything, because I'd get so bored,'' Coughlin said. ``It's a strange time of year. I'm helping out with the Cal team, so it's strange for me schedule-wise. And it's been so long since I've done a real short-course meet, so I'm really happy with the times.''

The same might not have been said about Coughlin and Sandeno in August.

Coughlin added more weight training to her workout program, and Sandeno devoted herself to training with Michael Phelps and company at Club Wolverine in an effort to begin 2007 with impressive efforts.

``It's been a long time since I've been in a meet like this,'' Coughlin said. ``It's a good training situation to be in.''

Said Sandeno: ``If people do look at (the results), then they might say `maybe she's back on track.' I think I am.''

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