Kirsty Coventry
Kirsty Coventry
Kirsty Leigh Coventryis a Zimbabwean 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...
NationalityZimbabwean
ProfessionAthlete
Date of Birth16 September 1983
CountryZimbabwe
I take any opportunity I can to raise our country's flag really high and get some shining positive light on things over there.
People have to remain positive and believe in those dreams. It's really important.
Everyone there including President Mugabe knows something needs to change because so many people are hurting.
Everyone at home is so supportive. People recognise me, say how proud they are of me. It's awesome to hear, it's amazing to know I can touch so many people in a positive way.
I have always stayed out of politics, I don't believe it would be appropriate to talk about it.
It is much harder to retain your position at the top than to get to the top.
There are younger, stronger swimmers coming up and they are hungry. I can't influence what they do, I only know what I can do and I know how greedy I am to defend my title.
In athletics, older runners tend to go for longer races, but it's the opposite in swimming because your body can't handle the endurance.