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Kirsty Coventry misses out on podium
14 Aug 2016 at 08:32hrs | Views
ZIMBABWEAN swimming queen Kirsty Coventry missed out on a podium finish after coming sixth in the 200m backstroke final at the on going Rio Olympics early yesterday morning. Coventry touched the wall in a time of 2:08.80s. Although she hasn't pronounced herself clearly on retirement it appears the 200m backstroke final was Coventry's last Olympic event.
"London should have been my last Olympics if things had gone differently and I'd not dislocated my knee four months before," Coventry is quoted to have said. "When I made the decision to carry on swimming after London, Rio was to be the last one. . ." Coventry was quoted as saying in May.
Coventry, who also missed out on the 100m backstroke final, rounds up her career with a tally of seven medals; two gold, four silver and a bronze.
The 32-year-old collected her first set of medals during the 2004 Greece Olympics, where she won a gold, a silver and bronze medals.
These medals came in the 200m backstroke (gold), 100m backstroke (silver) and 200m individual medley (bronze).
She would then add to that tally with three more silvers and a gold during the London Games in 2008.
There, her silver medals came in the 400m individual medley, 100m backstroke and 200m backstroke. She won gold in the 200m backstroke, her signature event.
On top of her impressive Olympic resume, Coventry is also a former World, African and Commonwealth Champion.
As Coventry finished sixth, American Maya DiRado won her first individual gold medal of the Rio Olympics, as she upset heavy favorite Katinka Hosszu of Hungary to win the 200m backstroke final.
DiRado, making her Olympic debut in Rio with Team USA, had won a bronze and a silver medal behind Hosszu earlier this week in each of the individual medleys.
DiRado raced to 2:05.99s, out-touching Hosszu by 0,06s, after having tracked her down over the final lap and thrusting to the line a fingertip ahead.
Hosszu, known as the "Iron Lady", added the only silver to her collection of three Rio gold medals. Canada's Hilary Caldwell took the bronze with a time of 2:07.54s.
Missy Franklin, who set a world record on her way to winning gold in this event in 2012, did not even qualify for the final. Neither did 2015 world champion Emily Seebohm.
"London should have been my last Olympics if things had gone differently and I'd not dislocated my knee four months before," Coventry is quoted to have said. "When I made the decision to carry on swimming after London, Rio was to be the last one. . ." Coventry was quoted as saying in May.
Coventry, who also missed out on the 100m backstroke final, rounds up her career with a tally of seven medals; two gold, four silver and a bronze.
The 32-year-old collected her first set of medals during the 2004 Greece Olympics, where she won a gold, a silver and bronze medals.
These medals came in the 200m backstroke (gold), 100m backstroke (silver) and 200m individual medley (bronze).
She would then add to that tally with three more silvers and a gold during the London Games in 2008.
On top of her impressive Olympic resume, Coventry is also a former World, African and Commonwealth Champion.
As Coventry finished sixth, American Maya DiRado won her first individual gold medal of the Rio Olympics, as she upset heavy favorite Katinka Hosszu of Hungary to win the 200m backstroke final.
DiRado, making her Olympic debut in Rio with Team USA, had won a bronze and a silver medal behind Hosszu earlier this week in each of the individual medleys.
DiRado raced to 2:05.99s, out-touching Hosszu by 0,06s, after having tracked her down over the final lap and thrusting to the line a fingertip ahead.
Hosszu, known as the "Iron Lady", added the only silver to her collection of three Rio gold medals. Canada's Hilary Caldwell took the bronze with a time of 2:07.54s.
Missy Franklin, who set a world record on her way to winning gold in this event in 2012, did not even qualify for the final. Neither did 2015 world champion Emily Seebohm.
Source - Online
