Published by the government of Zimbabwe
Collin Matiza
25 August 2008
Beijing — KIRSTY Coventry -- the heart and soul of sport in Zimbabwe at major international events -- is set to return home on Wednesday to a hero's welcome after her sterling performance at the 2008 Summer Olympic Games here in Beijing, writes Collin Matiza in BEIJING, China.
Coventry once again lit up the Olympic Games when she picked up four medals for Zimbabwe -- one precious gold and three silver -- in the pool at the magnificent Water Cube arena at the National Aquatics Complex in the Chinese capital last week.
The United States-based swimmer, who turns 25 on September 16, was just of a breath of fresh air here in Beijing where she also set two world records -- in the 100m and 200m backstroke events -- on her way to winning the four medals.
This was another glorious moment for the bubbly Zimbabwean swimmer who is idolised back home where she is now regarded as a national treasure following her recent heroics at the Beijing Games.
And Coventry is expected to fly back to Zimbabwe from Beijing on Wednesday to present the four medals that she won here to her beloved sport-loving Zimbabwean people who are anxiously waiting for her return to the country.
According to Thabani Gonye, the chef de mission of Team Zimbabwe 2008 at the Beijing Games, Coventry is first expected to leave Beijing on Tuesday flying to Harare via Johannesburg, South Africa.
She is expected to arrive at Harare International Airport around lunchtime on Wednesday.
"Kirsty will be leaving Beijing on Tuesday and will fly to Zimbabwe via Johannesburg and will only be arriving at Harare International Airport at around lunchtime the following day on Wednesday.
"At Harare International Airport, she will join the rest of Team Zimbabwe 2008 members who will also be flying in from Beijing at around the same time on the same day (Wednesday afternoon)," Gonye said.
The Team Zimbabwe 2008 chef de mission also said that sprinter Brian Dzingai, who also did the nation proud by reaching the men's 200m final at the Beijing Games this week, was likely to link-up with the rest of the team in Harare also on Wednesday.
Dzingai is expected to leave Beijing today for London where he will then connect another flight to Harare where he is also scheduled to arrive on Wednesday. The US-based sprinter, who finished a credible fourth in the men's 200m final at the Bird's Nest on Wednesday night, is expected to fly out of Beijing today with fellow US-based sprinter Lewis Banda.
Banda, who failed to jump the first hurdle in the men's 400m event at the Beijing Games on Monday, is, however, not returning to Zimbabwe as he will be flying straight back to his base in the US.
Promising long jumper Ngonidzaishe Makusha, who like Dzingai also made his presence felt at the Beijing Games where he reached the men's long jump final on his debut appearance at the Olympics, has already left the Chinese capital.
Makusha left Beijing on Thursday -- three days after his heroics in the field events at the Beijing Games where he finished fourth in the men's long jump final on Monday night -- headed for his base in Florida, US.
Gonye said Makusha was not in a position to return home to Zimbabwe with the rest of the members of Team Zimbabwe 2008 because of university commitments at Florida State University where is currently on an athletics scholarship.
Another member of Team Zimbabwe 2008, Young Talkmore Nyongani, left Beijing yesterday morning for Finland where he has an upcoming race, according to Gonye.
Nyongani, like Banda, was another big disappointment at the Beijing Games where he was eliminated in the opening heats of the men's 400m event on Monday morning, leaving the scene in a hurry just like what he did at the last Olympics in Athens, Greece, four years ago.
Female tennis player Cara Black, who represented Zimbabwe in the women's singles at the Beijing Games where she also made an early exit, left the Chinese capital on Monday accompanied by her Australian husband and fitness trainer Brett Stephens a day after the tennis finals.
Black was on her way to the US where she will be playing in the doubles competition at the fourth and final Grand Slam of the year -- the US Open -- which starts on Monday at Flushing Meadows in New York.
Gonye said the rest of the 13-member Team Zimbabwe 2008 athletes -- female marathon runner Tabitha Tsatsa, middle-distance competitor Cutbert Nyasango, female rower Elana Susan Hill, mountain bike rider Antipas Kwari, female swimmer Heather Brand and men's marathon runner Mike Fokorani -- were all expected to leave Beijing on Tuesday headed back home to Zimbabwe where they were expected to arrive on Wednesday afternoon.
And teaming up with them at Harare International Airport will be none other than Kirsty Coventry -- the star of the show for the Zimbabwean team at the Beijing Games which ended today.
But it is the arrival of Coventry back home which is likely to draw a huge crowd at Harare International Airport where she will receive a hero's welcome from the hordes of sport-loving Zimbabweans who were passionately following her progress and stellar performances at the Beijing Games.
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