Olympic-bound Zimbabwe’s star swimmer Kirsty Coventry was impressive on her return to competitive action by winning two gold medals at the 2012 Paris Open Swimming Championships in the French capital over the weekend.
The 28-year-old seven-time Olympic medalist finished with two wins in the 200m individual medley (IM) and the 200m backstroke.
Coventry posted her first win in the women’s 200m IM, recording a 2:13.60 for the victory.
Her time was however slower than her silver-medal winning time of 2:08.59 from the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing.
Coventry will however be encouraged by the fact that her winning time was close to her fastest time of 2012, a 2:12.65 she posted in January.
According to reports from France, Coventry won her second gold medal at the star-studded event in the women’s 200m backstroke, the distance over which she won Olympic gold in 2004 and 2008.
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She had an incredible last 50m to surge, under pressure from Anastasia Zueva from Russia and Spain’s Duane Da Rocha Marce and posting 2:10.10.
Zueva settled for second in 2:10.36, while Da Rocha Marce was third in 2:10.60.
Coventry, who heads for Tunisia this week, will be the country’s brightest medal prospect for the London Olympics which run from July 27 to August 12.
Other athletes who have qualified for the Olympics are triathlete Chris Felgate, rowers Micheen Thornicroft and Jamie-Frazer Mackenzie, marathon runners Cuthbert Nyasango, Wirimayi Juwao and Sharon Tavengwa.
Track and field star Ngonidzashe Makusha had also qualified but his participation now doubtful after suffering a serious injury.