Heroine Coventry clinches second medal for Zimbabwe

Heroine Coventry clinches second medal for Zimbabwe

COVENTRY after her Commonwealth triumph last year

• Coventry wins Olympic silver

• Cara Black basks in Wimbledon glory

By Sports Reporter

WE are loving it!

Zimbabwe's swimming sensation Kirsty Coventry on Tuesday won her second medal at the Athens Olympics, clinching bronze in the 200-meter individual medleys.

Coventry's triumph on Monday was headline news back home in Zimbabwe as a nation joined to salute its latest heroine.

"I'm really very proud to be from Zimbabwe, it's great to have the support of all the nation," Coventry said after her latest triumph.

"My medal gives hope to Zimbabwe sportsmen back home who should now believe in themselves. Sports are just sports, we are just there to compete. But I still hope that my country will eventually come around," she said.

Yana Klochkova of Ukraine completed an Olympic sweep of the individual medleys, winning gold while Amanda Beard of the United States, made a dramatic move from fifth to second on the breaststroke portion and earned the silver in 2:11.70 - her fifth career Olympic medal.

Coventry who won bronze in the 100-meter backstroke on Monday, Zimbabwe's first Olympic medal in 24 years, had a time of 2:12.72 and Klochkova clinched it in 2 minutes, 11.14 seconds, defending her title from the Sydney Games.

Coventry, a Commonwealth gold medalist for Zimbabwe at the Club Games in Manchester last year, was the only African finalist, and her bronze medal is only Zimbabwe's second at the Olympics since the women's hockey team took gold in Moscow, Russia in 1980.

Coventry is also competing in the 200m backstroke on Thursday.

Below are some of your comments on the Forums:

"Congrats to Kirsty and thanks for flying the flag and making us proud," Ndini.

"It is a beautiful thing. Well done Kirsty, you make the world see what a Zimbabwean can be and do," wrote Mark.

"We love you girl," was Nurse's entry.

But in a nation where politics is everything, you couldn't lack some controversial messages.

"I am happy for Kirsty. She has done the nation proud," wrote our reader Analyzer. "But my message to her is this: 'If President Mugabe or any of those in Zanu PF want to fete you when you get back, REFUSE. This is something you have achieved for yourself and your country. You should not allow your achievements to be soiled by having it associated with thugs and murderers."

2002-03:
Is ranked No. 13 in the 200m IM (2:14.88), No. 37 in the 200m back (2:14.92) and No. 31 in the 400m IM (4:48.75) in World ... Competed at the FINA World Championships in Barcelona, Spain, placing ninth in the 200m IM (2:14.88), 14th in the 200m back (2:15.20) and 400 IM (4:48.75) and 19th in the 100m back (1:03.09) ... Swam the third leg of the NCAA Champion 800 free relay team (7:02.72) with a split of 1:45.12 ... Also swam the third leg of the NCAA Champion 400 free relay (3:14.15) with a split of 48.75 ... Led off the NCAA Champion and NCAA and US Open record-setting 400 medley relay (3:31.45) with a split of 53.09 ... Placed second (53.01) to NCAA Champion Natalie Coughlin in the 100 back after coming out of prelims as the top qualifier with a 52.89 ... Silver medalist in the 200 back at NCAAs (1:53.17) ... Third silver medal at NCAAs was in the 200 IM, where she clocked a 1:57.28, tying with SMU's Alenka Kejzar behind teammate Maggie Bowen ... Was the fifth-highest scorer at SECs (54 pts) ... SEC Champion in the 100 back (53.38) ... Swam the third leg of the 800 free relay team that set the SEC, NCAA and US Open record at the SEC Championships (7:01.00) with a split of 1:46.13 ... Finished as the runner-up in the 200 IM (1:58.96) and the 200 back (1:53.87) at the SEC Championships ... 200 back time was 1.4 seconds better than the previous SEC record ... Swam the leadoff leg for the SEC Champion 400 medley relay team (3:34.86) with a split of 53.49 and the leadoff leg of the 400 free relay team (3:16.75) with a split of 49.96 ... Named to the Knoxville News Sentinel's All-SEC First Team for the backstroke and the second team for the relay and IM ...

2001-02:
Won a gold medal and set a Commonwealth Games record in the 200 IM with a time of 2:14.53 ... Also placed fourth in the 100 back and fifth in the 200 back at the games ... Placed third in the 200 back (1:54.37), fourth in the 100 back (53.67) and ninth in the 200 IM (1:59.37) at NCAAs … Was a member of the second-place 400 free relay and third-place 400 medley relay teams at NCAAs … Earned an SEC title in the 100 back in a school record time of 53.82 ... Finished second in the 200 back (1:55.39) and third in the 200 IM (1:59.92) at the SEC Championship meet ... Finished the SEC Championship meet second in individual scoring with 53 points ...

High School:
Harare Convent, ‘01…First Zimbabwe swimmer to semifinal in the Olympics…Sports Woman of the Year for 2000…One of the top ten finalists for Zimbabwe National Sports Person of the Year in 1999…Swam in the All-Africa Games in 1999…Qualified at the South Africa Senior Championships for the Olympics in 100 backstroke, 200 IM, 100 freestyle and 50 free…Competed in the Commonwealth Games in 1998 where she semifinaled in the 200 IM ...

Personal:
Full name is Kirsty Leigh Coventry ... Parents are Rob and Lyn Coventry ... Born Sept. 16, 1983 ... Has a sister, Lauren Coventry.
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