Kirsty Coventry
Kirsty Leigh Coventry Seward (born 16 September 1983) is a Zimbabwean swimmer and politician currently serving as the Minister of Youth, Sport, Arts and Recreation in the Cabinet of Zimbabwe since September 2018. A former Olympic swimmer and world record holder, she is the most decorated Olympian from Africa. She is a member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), and was elected the Chairperson of the IOC Athletes' Commission, the body that represents all Olympic athletes worldwide in early 2018.
Kirsty Coventry | |
|---|---|
Coventry at the 2018 Summer Youth Olympics | |
| Minister of Youth, Sport, Arts and Recreation | |
| Assumed office 10 September 2018 | |
| President | Emmerson Mnangagwa |
| Deputy |
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| Preceded by | Kazembe Kazembe Sithembiso Nyoni |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Kirsty Leigh Coventry September 16, 1983 Harare, Zimbabwe |
| Nationality | Zimbabwean |
| Political party | Independent |
| Spouse | Tyrone Seward |
| Alma mater | Auburn University |
Born in Harare, Coventry 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 called her "a golden girl," and personally awarded her US$100,000 in cash for her 2008 Olympic performance. In 2016, Coventry retired from swimming after her fifth Olympics, having won the joint-most individual medals in women's swimming in Olympic history.