At 9 years old, Olympic backstroke Champion, Kirsty Coventry, told her father that she would go to the Olympics and win gold.
She did just that!
Growing up, Kirsty had a supportive family, but never a sporting role model. Ok, there were plenty of famous sports stars around, many from Zimbabwe, but no one that was ever accessible. To her, they were nothing more than faces in the mist.
Perseverance . Sacrifice . Hard Work . Self-Belief
Kirsty learnt very quickly the importance of the above values, and even when she was laughed at by people, who felt her dream was nothing more than just that, worked hard to become the person she believed she could be.
Accepted into 3 universities, Kirsty opted for Auburn, and although she knew that she would be the slowest swimmer there, she realized that she would have to swim with the best, to become the best.
Kirsty is currently visiting schools across Zimbabwe, in a mission to inspire children to become the best that they can be, to believe in themselves. She talks to them about her time at Auburn, including the sacrifices she made to be there, and the importance of working as a team. She won her first Olympic Gold Medal…
