Harare, Zimbabwe: On March 20, 2025, Kirsty Coventry became the first woman and African to be elected as the 10th president of the International Olympic Committee.
Her parents, Robert Edwin and Lyn Coventry, are proud of her accomplishments as a Zimbabwean swimmer, politician, and sports administrator.
Highlights
- Kristy Coventry is the daughter of Robert Edwin and Lyn Coventry, and they raised her alongside her little sister in Harare, Zimbabwe.Â
- Her parents actively participated in swimming, and her grandfather was the chairman of a swimming association.
- On March 10, in Harare, her parents were robbed at their home, taking more than $90,000 in cash and goods, including some of her Olympic gear.
Kirsty won Zimbabwe’s Sports Woman of the Year award in 2000 while still a high school student, making her the first swimmer from Zimbabwe to advance to the Olympic semifinals.
She won three medals at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, including gold in the 200-meter backstroke.
Similarly, she assisted in leading Auburn University’s Tigers to the 2003 and 2004 National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Championships. Later, the College Swimming Coaches Association named her the Swimmer of the Meet for her performance.
Kirsty’s performance allowed her country to earn several medals in the World Championship.
Under President Emmerson Mnangagwa, Coventry was named Minister of Youth, Sport, Arts, and Recreation in Zimbabwe’s 20-member Cabinet on September 7, 2019.
Kirsty Coventry’s Parents Have History Of Swimming
Kirsty Leigh Coventry Seward, the daughter of Robert Edwin and Lyn Coventry, was born on September 16, 1983, in Harare, Zimbabwe. Her parents raised her alongside her little sister.
Her family boasts a rich legacy in swimming, with her grandfather serving as the chairman of a swimming association and her parents actively participating in the sport.
Kristy’s nurturing environment ignited her passion for swimming from an early age, leading her to join a local swimming club at six.
Her dedication and talent eventually led her to Auburn University in Alabama, USA, where she refined her skills and set the foundation for her remarkable journey in competitive swimming.
Her parents have supported her career transitions, both in sports and politics. They believed in her and gave their everything to encourage her.
When I was 9 years old I told my Dad I wanted to go to the Olympics and win Gold. He told me it would be a rough road ahead, he explained how difficult it was just to make the Olympic Team let alone win a medal, but he believed in me.
Kristy Coventry
Furthermore, Kristy’s mom is a Breast Cancer survivor.
Her parents owned a chemicals company in a Harare suburb, raising her mainly in the urban area. Their family was affected by the farming evictions.
On farms, she had close family members and friends who experienced a lot of hardship.
Zimbabwe is my home. It’s where I was born. It’s my culture. I will always represent Zimbabwe. Colour doesn’t matter to me. I think every country goes through bad years and good years.
Kirsty Coventry
Kristy Coventry’s Parents Were Robbed And Held Hostage
Kirsty Coventry celebrates as police catch robbers who targeted her parents, Robert Edwin and Lyn Coventry.
Her parents were robbed in their house on March 10, in Harare, during which cash and valuables worth over $90,000 were stolen, including some of her Olympic paraphernalia.
In Harare’s Glen Lorne neighborhood, two brothers held Kirsty’s parents, Robert Edwin and Lyn Coventry, hostage, binding their hands and feet with shoelaces.
The intruders ransacked the house, stealing $15,000 in cash, jewelry valued at $60,000, three hair dryers, Coventry’s Olympic swimsuits, travel bags, hearing aids worth $5,000, and three hunting firearms. Authorities have since recovered some of the stolen items.
According to law enforcement, two armed robbers, John and Mike Nongwe, are due to appear in court on Friday charged with the home invasion.
H-Metro posted the incident on the Facebook page, but Zimbabweans were less sympathetic in the comments section.
Some were startled that the Sports Minister’s parents kept enormous amounts of cash in their house, while others conjectured that the robbery was an inside operation.
Additional Information
- Kirsty Coventry graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Hotel and Restaurant Management from Auburn in 2006.
- She married Tyrone Seward, her manager since 2010, on August 10, 2013, and gave birth to their first child in May 2019.
- She was elected to the International Olympic Committee Athletes’ Commission in 2012 and served eight years.
- She supports a complete ban on transgender athletes competing in all-female events but was questioned over her involvement in the women’s boxing disaster.
