Mugabe honours Coventry with diplomatic passport

Mugabe honours Coventry with diplomatic passport

DUNNIT!: Kirsty celebrates after her triumph

• 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

• Cara Black basks in Wimbledon glory

By Sports Reporter

ZIMBABWE'S President Robert Mugabe has awarded Zimbabwean swimming gold medal winner Kirsty Coventry a diplomatic passport and $50 000 "pocket money" to use in the United States where she is a student.

Coventry won Zimbabwe's only medals so far at the Athens Olympics, bringing home a bronze, a silver and a gold medal.

"She did us proud. Well done golden girl, may God lead you in the future because you are one with us, we are together," said Mugabe on Wednesday night.

Coventry's medals are the first Zimbabwe has won since its women's hockey team won gold in the 1980 Moscow games.

About 2 000 people at Harare airport met the 20-year-old swimmer when she returned home from Athens on Wednesday.

Hundreds of people waved flags or held placards, one of which read: "Welcome home our princess of sport".

"This is awesome!" the 20-year-old Coventry said to the crowd through a public address system after her arrival home from Greece. "I want to thank you all so much for your support."

The turn out of fans, mostly black Zimbabweans, temporarily dispelled racial overtones inherent in Zimbabwe today, where whites get a bad press in the state media for their perceived support of opponents to president Robert Mugabe's government.

Read all your shouts about Coventry's STUNNING success: CLICK HERE

Among the many people who were at the airport to welcome her home were children from Coventry's former preparatory school dressed in their red school blazers.

"I just wanted to get a glimpse of her, she really made us proud," said one man outside the airport terminal as he hoisted his twin daughters alternately on to his shoulders to see above the crowds that pressed around the young swimmer.

Coventry, who leaves the country again Saturday for the United States, where she is studying at Auburn University, Atlanta, left the airport in a top-of-the-range Mercedes Benz provided for her use while in the country.
JOIN THE DEBATE ON THIS ARTICLE ON THE NEWZIMBABWE.COM FORUMS
ozzie@newzimbabwe.com