Kirsty Coventry wraps busy Olympics with medal and flag

Kirsty Coventry has won more Olympic medals, than any female swimmer in history.

ZIMBABWEAN swimmer Kirsty Coventry, one the country’s most accomplished athletes in any sport, wrapped up a busy two weeks at the 2016 Summer Olympics on Sunday evening by carrying Zimbabwe’s flag at the closing ceremonies in the Maracanã Stadium, where the Games were officially extinguished and attentions will roll forward to Tokyo.

Coventry is the owner of seven Olympic medals in her career, including back-to-back golds in the 200 backstroke in 2004 and 2008. Her seven medals are more than any other African has won in any sport; and she ties with Krisztina Egerszegi for the most individual Olympics medals by any female swimmer in history.

Coventry’s highlight of the Olympics was a 6th-place finish in the 200 back final, which wasn’t enough to break her tie with Egerszegi, but at 32 was still very much a moral victory. She also placed 11th in the 100 back.

The honor to carry the flag at the closing ceremonies for Coventry matched the one she was given at the opening ceremonies 17 days ago.

While Zimbabwe didn’t win a medal, Coventry’s was the highest finish among the 31 athletes competing in seven sports (made up primarily of the women’s soccer team, who was winless and didn’t advance from group play), and her face was ever-present at the Olympics.

As a member of the IOC athletes’ commission, she was given the opportunity to award medals multiple times throughout the week. As noted by SwimSwam’s Lauren Neidigh, she handed out medals for the men’s 400 medley relay on the last day of swimming in an awkward pairing with Russian Swimming Federation head Vladimir Salnikov.

Also on Sunday, she awarded Spain their bronze medals in men’s basketball – one of the highest-visibility awards and award ceremonies at the Olympics globally.

Coventry has still not said the word ‘retirement’ in any official capacity, but did leave this message on her Facebook and Instagram accounts this week saying that she “feel (s) a great Peace leaving the ‘competing world.’

After Rio, Kirsty Coventry will continue her humanitarian efforts promoting water safety and drowning prevention.

If this, her 5th Olympics, do wind up being her final Olympics, she will have made among the most indelible marks on them even without winning a medal, giving continued hope and visibility for the possibilities of peace and participation in the global stage for a country divided by political strife that honors Coventry as their “golden girl.” swimswam.com

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