Olympic champion Kirsty Coventry set for royal welcome

Olympic champion Kirsty Coventry set for royal welcome

ROYAL WELCOME: Zimbabwe's Olympic champion Kirsty Coventry arrives home on Wednesday with the rest of Team Zimbabwe

• Zimbabweans debate fitting honour for Coventry

• Your Shouts: Kirsty Coventry's Beijing heroics

• Obie Madondo: Kirsty Coventry for President

• Coventry takes gold with record breaking swim

• Coventry eyes gold after chalking up third silver

• Coventry wins second silver medal for Zim

• Coventry breaks world record in 100m backstroke

• Coventry takes Olympic silver in 400m IM

• World breaking Coventry wins fourth gold

• Coventry sets 400m individual medley world record

• Kirsty smashes venerable 200m backstroke record

• Coventry wins 7th All Africa Games gold

• Coventry claims 2 gold medals at All Africa Games

• It's Kirsty again!

• Mugabe gives Coventry diplomatic passport

• Zim rolls out red carpet for Coventry

• Your shouts on Coventry's victory

• Coventry unites nation

• Mugabe leads tributes after Coventry stunner

• Zimbabwe heroine Coventry wins Olympic gold

• Heroine Coventry clinches second medal for Zim

• Coventry wins Olympic silver

By Nkanyiso Moyo
Last updated: 27/08/2008 08:27:43
(Watch Coventry's gold medal swim VIDEO)
OLYMPIC swimming champion Kirsty Coventry was heading home to Zimbabwe on Wednesday as authorities prepared a royal welcome for her and 12 other athletes who took part in the Beijing Olympics.

President Robert Mugabe led the tributes to Team Zimbabwe, singling out Coventry for praise during the official opening of the country’s seventh parliament on Tuesday.

Mugabe hailed Coventry’s “heroic performance”, and urged Zimbabweans to “exert our full effort towards raising our country and its flag in the manner our Olympic team has done in Beijing”.

Mugabe’s wife, Grace, who attended the opening ceremony of the Olympics, pledged US$1500 for each of the athletes and their coaches on Monday.

Coventry broke two world records on her way to winning a gold medal (200m backstroke) and three silver medals (100m backstroke, 400m IM and 200m IM).

Her medal haul in Beijing adds to the three gold, silver and bronze medals she won in Athens in 2004. Returning home then, Mugabe gave her US$50 000 “pocket money” and awarded her a diplomatic passport.

Keen to capitalise on Coventry’s Olympic success, Mugabe is expected to welcome Team Zimbabwe at the Harare International Airport at lunchtime on Wednesday.

The team left Beijing via South Africa on Tuesday.

Also likely to get special attention from Zimbabwean sports fans is sprinter Brian Dzingai who reached the final of the men’s 100 metres and came fifth. The event was the highlight of the Beijing Olympics as Jamaican Usain Bolt smashed the 12-year record set by Michael Johnson.

United States-based long jumper Ngonidzashe Makusha narrowly missed out on a bronze medal, finishing fourth. He may be due a special mention.

But the hundreds of fans expect to line the Harare International Airport tarmac this afternoon will have their eyes firmly fixed on Coventry, described by Mugabe in 2004 as the “golden girl”.

She threw every effort at getting a gold medal – all the time thinking about making Zimbabweans proud back home, she revealed.

“The plan was to go in and put everything on the line and see what I have to go home with,” she said after snatching gold in the last event. “I’m excited to hear the national anthem play and for everyone back home to hear it."
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