Kirsty Coventry
Zimbabwean politician and swimmer (born 1983) / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Dear Wikiwand AI, let's keep it short by simply answering these key questions:
Can you list the top facts and stats about Kirsty Coventry?
Summarize this article for a 10 year old
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 | |
---|---|
Minister of Youth, Sport, Arts and Recreation | |
Assumed office 10 September 2018 | |
President | Emmerson Mnangagwa |
Deputy |
|
Preceded by | Kazembe Kazembe Sithembiso Nyoni |
Personal details | |
Born | Kirsty Leigh Coventry (1983-09-16) September 16, 1983 (age 40) 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.[1] At the 2004 Summer Olympics, in Athens, Greece, Coventry won three Olympic medals: a gold, a silver, and a bronze,[2] 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".[1]
Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe called her "a golden girl,"[3] and personally awarded her US$100,000 in cash for her 2008 Olympic performance.[4] In 2016, Coventry retired from swimming after her fifth Olympics, having won the joint-most individual medals in women's swimming in Olympic history.