Harare — AFTER winning a record seven Olympic Games medals, one would think that local swimming sensation Kirsty Coventry is now ranked high among the richest sportspersons in Zimbabwe.

But that's not the case for the 26-year-old two-time Olympic gold medallist.

Coventry revealed this week that she has gained fame, but little fortune from the sport that has seen her capturing the imagination of the world for the past eight years through her exploits in the pool.

Unlike her fellow top Zimbabwean sportswoman, tennis star Cara Black, who has made US$6 233 070 in career prizemoney since she turned professional in January 1998, Coventry said she has not earned a real fortune in swimming. "I know that most people (in Zimbabwe) think that I've made a lot of money through my exploits in the pool, but that's not the case.

"I haven't made a lot of money because swimming has no money. In fact, there is very little money in swimming and most (worldclass) swimmers don't earn much when competing at major international competitions.

"It's sad because swimming is such a lovely sport. So, I can't say I am one of the richest sportspersons in Zimbabwe," said Coventry in an interview with The Herald earlier this week.

Coventry has been the country's torchbearer at major international swimming competitions for the past eight years where she has won a number of medals, making her one of the most successful sportspersons in Zimbabwe.

And among her collection of silverware are seven Olympic Games medals -- two golds, four silvers and one bronze. She won the two gold medals at the last two Olympics in Athens, Greece, in 2004, and Beijing, China, in 2008 when coasting to victory in the women's 200m backstroke.

And when she won her last gold medal at the 2008 Beijing Games, she received a cash gift of US$100 000 from President Mugabe for the remarkable feat. Although she has not earned a real fortune in the pool, Coventry said she owes her success to her parents, Lyn and Rob, her American coach Kim Brackin and the Zimbabwe Olympic Committee.

"To be where I am today, I owe everything to my family and my coach Kim Brackin. Without my family's support, it would not have been possible to get all these achievements in the pool.

"I also received a lot of support from the Zimbabwe Olympic Committee who were also there for me. They supported me emotionally.

"In fact, they were very supportive despite their limited financial resources," Coventry said.

Meanwhile, Coventry is now a local ambassador for a South African-based charity organisation Lapdesk. Lapdesk is a charity organisation that helps in sourcing school lap-desks for the underprivileged children in the rural areas and its patron is Nobel Peace Prizewinner Archbishop Desmond Tutu of South Africa.

And Coventry, the two-time Olympic gold medallist for Zimbabwe, was recently appointed as the organisation's ambassador for this country.

Coventry, who is now based in Johannesburg, returned to Zimbabwe on Sunday for a one-week charity work for Lap-desk in this country.

On Wednesday she was at Blackfordby Primary School in Harare where a donation of 17 000 lap-desks, which were raised by her charity organisation, was made. Lap-desks are small, portable desks that fit on a pupil's lap whether they are seated on a bench, chair or on the floor.

Coventry said she felt honoured to be appointed as the Lap-desk ambassador for Zimbabwe and was really excited by her new role.

"I'm currently working with Lap-desk and they are a South African-based charity organisation who source and donate lap-desks to schools that have no desks, especially in the rural areas.

"So, we are donating 17 000 lap-desks which were sponsored by Aussie Aid of Australia and they will be donated to about 100 schools in and around Harare and hopefully we will donate more lap-desks throughout Zimbabwe.

"I'm quite excited about this whole new experience as I see it as a way of giving back to the community and helping the underprivileged children in this country," Coventry said. She said one desk costs about US$12.

This is not the first time that Coventry is being involved in helping the needy as she has donated some of the money, which she won through her exploits in the pool, to local charitable organisations.

In fact, in September 2008 after she had just returned from the Beijing Olympic Games in China where she reaped four medals - one gold and three silvers - Coventry decided that it was better to give than to receive.

In one of the most generous gestures shown by a local athlete, Coventry chanelled part of the US$100 000 that she received from President Mugabe for winning the four medals at the 2008 Beijing Games to a number of local charitable organisations. Coventry made several cash donations to the local charities for the needy that included cancer patients and the elderly.

Apart from giving cash donations to cancer patients and the elderly, Coventry also gave money to SOAP, a support group for pensioners, and to Not For Profit Trust, a local organisation that supports local health programmes by sourcing funds for basic drugs for the medical system.

Coventry also donated some of the money that she received from President Mugabe to her former school Dominican Convent High in Harare.