The 28-year-old Olympic champion and her Zimbabwean boyfriend have been based in Monaco since September 20 at the invitation of Princess Charlene — a former South Africa Olympic swimming champion who wedded Albert II, the Prince of Monaco in July this year.
Coventry has been in serious training business, which means no more lunches with friends, no more late night movies, no more time spent babysitting her one-year-old niece, or going to birthday parties and friend’s weddings.
“I do not have many friends here (in Monaco), which means I don’t feel bad if I miss a party or a lunch because I’m resting or training. I am just here to train. I don’t have the time to get into the glitz and glamour that Monaco is famous for.
“Monaco is also in a far better location, being in Europe makes travelling to different competitions easier and of course it’s closer to London for the Olympics,” Coventry said.
She said her move to the “Principality” (Monaco) was made possible through an invitation from the Zimbabwean-born Princess Charlene. The opportunity to use Monaco as a base was because of its location in Europe, which allows Coventry to compete in many competitions without having to travel far.
Monaco is also close to London and therefore no major adjustments or interruptions to her base will need to be made before the Olympics. Coventry said she was geared to face the young and talented swimmers at the Olympics next year.
“I want to make it to the finals for all the races I enter,” she said “Of course it’s everybody’s dream to win a medal and once you have won one, it does not mean you will win another. It is more difficult to retain your position at the top than to get to the top.”
However, she said the young swimmers were ambitious and would be her main hindrance. “It’s a feeding frenzy and there are younger, stronger swimmers coming up and they are hungry. I can’t control what they do but I know what I can do and I know how greedy I am.
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“The more competition we have, the faster it makes us swim and the better it is for the sport. Anybody watching this next Olympics is going to be on the edge of their seat,” she said.
So far Coventry has qualified for two events: 200m backstroke and 200m individual medley. She will qualify for the 100 backstroke and 400 individual medley in March next year.
Most swimmers only swim one or two individual events at Olympics but because of Coventry’s ability, skill and determination, she is able to swim a lot more.Coventry said she hoped to do well at the London Olympics and had secured tickets for her parents Rob and Liz.
“The ticket sales have been horrendous. I could only get my parents one ticket each for some of my events (400IM). I haven’t tried to get tickets for the other sports,” she said.
Apart from training, Coventry is enjoying the company of her partner, Seward. However, the man in Coventry’s life has not been giving any hint on when he might propose to marry the swimming star.
“Anyone who knows how hard Kirsty is training will be proud to be Zimbabwean. She is a true ambassador to the country — in everything she does. Coventry and I are extremely happy together, we are focusing on the Olympics and then who knows what will happen,” Seward said.
