Kirsty Leigh Coventry Seward has led a remarkably unique and, looking from any perspective, an unlikely life.

Not only did she win 7 Olympic medals in the 100m and 200m backstrokes, and 200m and 400m individual medleys representing her country of Zimbabwe becoming the most decorated Olympian from Africa, but she also was voted today as the 10th President of the International Olympic Committee – the first female in history to be elected to this position.

The 41-year-old from Harare admitted, “As a 9-year-old, I never thought I would be able to standing up here one day giving back to this incredible [Olympic] movement of ours. I will lead this organization with some much pride…now we really have some work together…The young girl who first started swimming in Zimbabwe all those years ago could never have dreamt of this moment…thank you very much for this moment and honor.”

She will serve her first term after receiving 49 of the possible 97 votes in an election held at the 144th IOC Session in Costa Navarino, Greece. Coventry was chosen over fellow presidential candidates HRH Prince Feisal Al Hussein of Jordan (2 votes), David Lappartient of France (4 votes), Johan Eliasch of Sweden (2 votes), Juan Antonio Samaranch of Spain (28 votes), Lord Sebastian Coe of Great Britain (8 votes), and Morinari Watanabe of Japan (4 votes).

Coventry will hold the office for two terms of four years, renewable once for another term. A president serving for two terms leads the IOC for at least two Summer Olympic Games and two Winter Olympic Games.

She has traveled the world and been a widely respected Olympian and world record holder, as well as an administrator and IOC member. Among her accolades, are numerous swimming victories, honors, and records:

• She swam competitively for Auburn University in Alabama, USA.
  • She helped lead Auburn to the NCAA Championships in 2003 and 2004.
  • In 2005, she was the top individual scorer at the NCAA Championships and captured three individual titles including the 200-yard and 400 yard individual medley, and the 200 yard backstroke for the second consecutive season.
  • She was named the College Swimming and Diving Coaches Association Swimmer of the Meet.
  • She was also the recipient of the 2004–2005 Honda Sports Award for Swimming and Diving, recognizing her as the outstanding college female swimmer.
• At the 2000 Sydney Olympics, she became the first Zimbabwean swimmer to reach the semifinals at the Olympics and was named Zimbabwe’s Sportswoman of the Year.
• At the 2004 Athens Olympics, she won three Olympic medals: a gold medal in the 200m backstroke in 2:09.19, a silver medal in the 100m backstroke in 1:00.50, and a bronze medal in the 200m individual medley in 2:12.72.
• At the 2007 World Championships in Melbourne, she won silver medals in the 200m backstroke and 200m individual medley. She was disqualified in the 400m individual medley and finished 14th place in the 100m backstroke.
• In 2008, she broke her first world record in the 200m backstroke at the Missouri Grand Prix in 2:06:39.
• At the 2008 Manchester Short Course World Championships, she broke her second world record in a gold medal victory 4:26:52 in the 400m individual medley. She won a second gold medal in the 100m backstroke in 57:10. She won 2 other gold medals in the 200m backstroke in 2:00:91 and the 200m individual medley in 2:06:13 as she was named as the FINA Female Swimmer of the Championships.
• At the 2008 Beijing Olympics, she won a gold medal in the 200m backstroke in a world record time of 2:05.24 and three silver medals in the 400m [individual medley]], 100m backstroke, and 200m individual medley despite swimming under the existing world records in the 200m and 400m individual medley events.
• At the 2009 World Championships, she won a gold medal in the 200m backstroke with a world record time and a silver medal in the 400m individual medley, finished fourth in the 200m individual medley, and eighth in the 100m backstroke.
• At the 2012 London Olympics, she finished 6th in both the 200m individual medley and the 200m backstroke.
• She competed in her fifth Olympics at the 2016 Rio Olympics where she finished 6th in the 200m backstroke and 11th in the 100m backstroke.
• She is a member of the International Olympic Committee and was elected the Chairperson of the IOC Athletes’ Commission, the body that represents all Olympic athletes worldwide in early 2018.
• She previously served on the FINA Athletes Commission.

Coventry will lead the IOC following the footsteps of these men:

• Demetrius Vikelas of Greece (1 year)
• Pierre de Coubertin of France (29 years)
• Henri de Baillet-Latour of Belgium (16 years)
• Sigfrid Edström of Sweden (9 years)
• Avery Brundage of the USA (20 years)
• Michael Morris of Ireland (7 years)
• Juan Antonio Samaranch of Spain (20 years)
• Thomas Bach of Germany (11 years)

For more information on Coventry, visit www.kirstycoventry.com.

© 2025 Daily News of Open Water Swimming

“to educate, enthuse, and entertain all those who venture beyond the shoreline“

A World Open Water Swimming Federation project.