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Innocent Kurira, Sports Reporter

THE Sports and Recreation Commission (SRC) has congratulated Youth, Sport, Arts and Recreation Minister Kirsty Coventry after she was named African Female Swimmer of the Millennium by Swimming World.

Swimming World recently named swimmers of the millennium for the first 20 years 2000-2019 of the 2000s instead of the usual Swimmer of the Year for 2020.

It indicated that there was not enough data to legitimately honour individuals as World, American, European, Pacific Rim and African Swimmers of the Year, due to the disruption of events by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Coventry was named African Female Swimmer of the Millennium, while South African Chad Le Clos bagged the men’s award.

“The board, management and staff of the Sports and Recreation Commission convey our heartfelt congratulations to one of our very own, Hounarable Minister of Youth Sport, Arts and Recreation Kirsty Coventry on being named the African Female Swimmer for the Millenium by Swimming World.

“This recognition by Swimming World comes at a time when the minister was also inducted into the African Union Sports Region 5, Sports Hall of Fame early in December 2020 by the African Union Sports Council Region 5,” the SRC statement reads.

Coventry was among seven personalities bestowed with the honour by the African Union Sport Council Region 5 Council of Ministers during their virtual extraordinary meeting held in December.

Twice crowned Olympic champion, and with seven Olympic medals, Coventry has won more individual Olympic medals than any female swimmer in history.

She is also Africa’s most successful Olympian.