Mark Smit
18 August 2008
Beijing — NO WONDER Robert Mugabe calls her his golden girl and a national treasure.
Despite troubled political and economic times in her homeland, Kirsty Coventry has continued to serve her country with great distinction. Zimbabwe is lying 21st on the medals table at the Beijing Olympics with four medals - and Coventry has won every single one of them.
Richer, bigger SA is lying nowhere and has no medals.
The swimming dynamo from Harare has won gold in the women's 200m backstroke, silver in the women's 400m individual medley, silver in the 100m backstroke and silver in the 200m individual medley in Beijing.
Coventry says she took up swimming because her parents and friends were all swimmers. She missed four months of training at the start of the 2005-06 season after injuring her knee at a World Cup meeting in Sydney, but has come back to improve on her three medals in Athens.
After winning those three in Athens she returned to Zimbabwe to a huge celebration with beating drums and chanting, banner-waving fans.
As a result of her achievements in Athens, many new babies in Zimbabwe were named Kirsty, with Coventry as a middle name. Other excited parents called their babies Gold-medal and even Three-medals.
She was named Zimbabwe's sportswoman of the year in 2005 and 2006. The three medals she won in Athens were gold, silver and bronze.
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Phiri, that was so well said.
The biggest surprise was the lack of medals from South Africa, especially swimming. Kirsty, a true Zimbabwean hero made us all proud. Kirsty, endured all the questions about the current situation in Zimbabwe and still came out a dignified human being, and largely a reflection of the humble and friendly people of Zimbabwe. Zimbabwe now needs a "Kirsty Coventry" olympic performance type in education, economics, health and political solution.