Kirsty Coventry

Kirsty Coventry

Kazan in 2015
Personal information
Full name	Kirsty Leigh Coventry
National team	Zimbabwe
Born	(1983-09-16) 16 September 1983 (age 33) Harare, Zimbabwe
Height	1.76 m (5 ft 9 in)
Weight	64 kg (141 lb; 10.1 st)
Website	KirstyCoventry.com
Sport
Sport	Swimming
Strokes	Backstroke, Individual Medley
Club	Longhorn Aquatics
College team	Auburn University
Coach	Kim Brackin, David Marsh
Medal record Women's swimming Representing Zimbabwe Olympic Games 2004 Athens 200 m backstroke 2008 Beijing 200 m backstroke 2004 Athens 100 m backstroke 2008 Beijing 100 m backstroke 2008 Beijing 200 m medley 2008 Beijing 400 m medley 2004 Athens 200 m medley World Championships (LC) 2005 Montreal 100 m backstroke 2005 Montreal 200 m backstroke 2009 Rome 200 m backstroke 2005 Montreal 200 m medley 2005 Montreal 400 m medley 2007 Melbourne 200 m backstroke 2007 Melbourne 200 m medley 2009 Rome 400 m medley World Championships (SC) 2008 Manchester 400 m medley 2008 Manchester 100 m backstroke 2008 Manchester 200 m backstroke 2008 Manchester 200 m medley 2008 Manchester 100 m medley Commonwealth Games 2002 Manchester 200 m medley All-Africa Games 2007 Algiers 50 m freestyle 2007 Algiers 800 m freestyle 2007 Algiers 50 m backstroke 2007 Algiers 100 m backstroke 2007 Algiers 200 m backstroke 2007 Algiers 200 m medley 2007 Algiers 400 m medley 2011 Maputo 100 m backstroke 2011 Maputo 200 m backstroke 2011 Maputo 200 m medley 2011 Maputo 400 m medley 2015 Brazzaville 100 m backstroke 2015 Brazzaville 200 m backstroke 2015 Brazzaville 200 m medley 2007 Algiers 100 m breaststroke 2007 Algiers 4×100 m medley 2007 Algiers 4×200 m freestyle 2011 Maputo 100 m butterfly 2011 Maputo 4×100 m medley 2011 Maputo 4×100 m freestyle 2011 Maputo 4×200 m freestyle 2015 Brazzaville 4×100 m mixed medley

Kirsty Leigh Coventry (born 16 September 1983 in Harare, Zimbabwe) is a Zimbabwean former swimmer and former world record holder. She attended and swam competitively for Auburn University in Alabama, in the United States. At the 2004 Summer Olympics, in Athens, Greece, Coventry won three Olympic medals: a gold, a silver, and a bronze, while in the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing she won four medals: a gold and three silver. She was subsequently described by Paul Chingoka, head of the Zimbabwe Olympic Committee, as "our national treasure". Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe has called her "a golden girl," and awarded her US$100,000 in cash for her 2008 Olympic performance.

Coventry attended Dominican Convent High School, Harare in Zimbabwe. In 2000, while still in high school, Coventry became the first Zimbabwean swimmer to reach the semifinals at the Olympics and was named Zimbabwe's Sports Woman of the Year.

As a student at Auburn University, Coventry helped lead the Tigers to National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Championships in 2003 and 2004. In 2005, she was the top individual scorer at the NCAA Championships and captured three individual titles including the 200-yard and 400 y individual medley (IM), and the 200 y backstroke for the second consecutive season. She was named the College Swimming Coaches Association Swimmer of the Meet for her efforts. Other awards include 2005 Southeastern Conference (SEC) Swimmer of the Year, and the 2004–05 SEC Female Athlete of the Year. She was also the recipient of the 2004–05 Honda Sports Award for Swimming and Diving, recognizing her as the outstanding college female swimmer of the year.

...
Wikipedia