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KIRSTY COVENTRY: Q. WAYNE GOLDSMITH: Kirsty, thank you for your time and An Inspiration for a Nation energy. Tell me a little about your early life in Zimbabwe. How did you become interested in swimming, who %\:D\QH*ROGVPLWK ZHUH \RXU FRDFKLQJ LQÀXHQFHV DQG what were your early memories of training and competing?

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12 SWIMMING WORLD MAGAZINE / 2016 OLYMPIC SPECIAL EDITION KIRSTY COVENTRY: AN INSPIRATION FOR A NATION

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SWIMMING WORLD MAGAZINE / 2016 OLYMPIC SPECIAL EDITION 13 KIRSTY COVENTRY’S FRQWLQXHGIURP 0\SDUHQWVQHYHUWROG CAREER HIGHLIGHTS PH WKDW , VKRXOG WKLQN DERXW WKH 2O\PSLFV , WROG WKHP , ZDQWHG WR JR , GLG ZKHQ , ZDV GLOBAL RANKINGS  Tied ( with Hungary’s Kristina Egerszegi ) ,ZRXOGJR¿VKLQJZLWK for most individual Olympic medals won by P\ GDG RQ /DNH .DULED a female (7) RU WKH =DPEH]L 5LYHU ZDWFKLQJ HOHSKDQWV EDWKH 0RVW2O\PSLFPHGDOVZRQLQ$IULFDQ ZKLOH UHDGLQJ D ERRN RU history—all sports (7) ZKLOH ¿VKLQJ OLVWHQLQJ WR WKH OLRQV URDU ZKLOH WORLD RECORDS (Long Course) FRRNLQJGLQQHUODXJKLQJ 100 meter backstroke (1): DW WKH EDERRQV FKDVLQJ  $XJ-XO\ HDFK RWKHU DPD]HG 200 meter backstroke (3): EHFDXVH WKH JLUDIIHV  )HE-XO\ ZHUHDVWDOODVWKHWUHHV  $XJ$XJ , ZDV DOZD\V VR Pictured: Kirsty Coventry, shown here as an age grouper and  $XJ$XJ with her parents as a young child, learned to swim at the age of H[FLWHG WR FDWFK D ¿VK PRQWKVDQGMRLQHGKHUˉUVWVZLPFOXEZKHQVKHZDV\HDUV EXW , DOZD\V NQHZ , old. Says Kirsty ,“It wasn’t about competition or being serious—it WORLD RECORDS (Short Course) FRXOGFDWFKDELJJHURQH ZDVDERXWˉQGLQJDJURXSRINLGVWKDW,FRXOGKDYHIXQZLWK0\ 200 meter backstroke (1): ,W ZDVQ¶W DERXW EHLQJ SDUHQWVZHUHP\JUHDWHVWLQˊXHQFHUVDQGWDXJKWPHWRZLQZLWK  $SU1RY XQKDSS\ ZLWK WKH ¿VK , humility and to lose with grace.” KDG MXVW FDXJKW²LW ZDV OLYMPIC GAMES DQ LQQHU IHHOLQJ WKDW , IRUWXQDWH,ZDV 7ZRJROGPHGDOV EDFN KDGWRNHHS¿VKLQJDQGWU\WRFDWFK )RUDORQJWLPHLQDZD\,FRXOG 6HYHQPHGDOV JROGVLOYHUEURQ]H DELJJHURQH KDYH EHHQ VHHQ DV WKH ³SULYLOHJHG Five-time Olympian (including this year at , WKLQN WKDW LQQHU IHHOLQJ ZDV ZKLWH NLG´ EHFDXVH VZLPPLQJ Rio de Janeiro) EHOLHI , GLGQ¶W QHHG P\ GDG WR WHOO ZDV VHHQ DV D ZKLWH SHUVRQ¶V VSRUW PH WKDW , NQHZ LI , NHSW WU\LQJ , &RPSDUHG WR WKH PDMRULW\ RI WKH WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS (LC) ZRXOGJHWLW SHRSOH LQ WKH FRXQWU\ , JXHVV ZH 7KUHHJROGPHGDOV EDFN ,GRQ¶WWKLQNWKHUHZDVDVSHFL¿F ZHUH SULYLOHJHG EXW ZH FHUWDLQO\ EDFN PRPHQW ZKHQ , GHFLGHG WR VHH ZHUHQRWGULYLQJÀDVK\FDUVRUÀ\LQJ (LJKWPHGDOV JROGVLOYHU KRZ IDU , FRXOG JR , WKLQN LW ZDV RIIRQKROLGD\VDQ\ZKHUH D SURJUHVVLRQ RI GHVLUH IXHOHG E\ )URP DQ HDUO\ DJH , NQHZ KRZ WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS (SCM) D FRPELQDWLRQ RI WKH LQÀXHQFH RI OXFN\,ZDV,WZDVRQO\XQWLOUHFHQWO\ Four gold medals (100 back, 200 back, KDYLQJ JRRG SHRSOH DURXQG PH ZKHQ , WUXO\ DSSUHFLDWHG MXVW ZKDW ,0,0Ȟ WKH RSSRUWXQLWLHV , WRRN P\ RZQ P\SDUHQWVKDGGRQHIRUPH )LYHPHGDOV JROGEURQ]H GHWHUPLQDWLRQDQGVHOIEHOLHI :HQHYHUKDGHQRXJKPRQH\IRU WRXUV HJWUDYHOLQJIURP=LPEDEZH COMMONWEALTH GAMES WG: It can be tough being a WR6RXWK$IULFDIRUFRPSHWLWLRQ VR 2QHJROGPHGDO ,0 swimmer in many parts of Africa— P\ SDUHQWV ZRXOG VHOO KDPEXUJHUV lots of challenges with facilities, DQGKRWGRJVDWWKHVZLPPLQJPHHWV ALL-AFRICA GAMES access to world-class competition DQG RXWVLGH WKH VXSHUPDUNHWV 0\ JROGPHGDOV  and many other tough struggles PHPRULHVRIWKHVHWLPHVDUHUXQQLQJ PHGDOV JROGVLOYHUEURQ]H with adversity. How did you DURXQG FKDVLQJ P\ VLVWHU ZLWK DQ overcome these challenges and LFHFUHDPLQRXUKDQGVDQGZHDULQJ NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS remain focused on becoming one WKH ELJJHVW VPLOHV DQG VKDULQJ WKH $XEXUQ8QLYHUVLW\  of the best female swimmers in the GHHSHVW ODXJKWHU :H ZHUH VXFK 6HYHQWLPHFKDPSLRQ world of all time? KDSS\ FKLOGUHQ EHFDXVH P\ SDUHQWV \DUGPHGOH\UHOD\IUHHUHOD\ QHYHU PDGH WKHLU SUREOHPV RXU 800 free relay KC: ,DWOHDVWKDGWKHRSSRUWXQLW\ SUREOHPV6LPLODU WR WKH ZLOGHEHHVW  6&0 PHWHUEDFN WR OHDUQ WR VZLP 0DQ\ SHRSOH LQ RQWKH$IULFDQSODLQVRQO\WKH¿WWHVW \DUGEDFN,0,0! $IULFDGLGQ¶WDQGVWLOOGRQ¶W,WKLQN VXUYLYH ,I ZH FRQVWDQWO\ KDG WR , ZDV DEOH WR VHH WKLV HYHU\ GD\ ZRUU\ DERXW SUREOHPV ZH ZRXOG DQG ,¶YH DOZD\V DSSUHFLDWHG KRZ QHYHU GR DQ\WKLQJ:HZHUH IRUFHG

14 SWIMMING WORLD MAGAZINE / 2016 OLYMPIC SPECIAL EDITION KIRSTY COVENTRY: AN INSPIRATION FOR A NATION

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