Kirsty Coventry

Sport: Swimming

Nation: Zimbabwe

DOB: September 16, 1983

Hometown: Harare

Career Highlights: Regarded as one of the world's top backstroke and medley swimmers, Coventry has won seven of Zimbabwe's eight Olympic medals. She made her Summer Games debut in 2000 while still in high school. Not long afterward, Coventry received a full swimming scholarship to Auburn University, where she was a member of the school's three-time national championship team and was named NCAA Female Swimmer of the Year in 2005. Her international breakthrough came at the 2004 Athens Games, where she won gold in the 200 backstroke, silver in the 100 back and bronze in the 200 individual medley. Four years later in Beijing, she defended her title in the 200 back, also winning three more silver medals. Coventry was awarded $100,000 in cash for her performance at the 2008 Games by Zimbabwe president Robert Mugabe.

Olympic History: 2008,2004,2000