The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
Coventry wins gold, sets new world record at Beijing Olympics
08.15.2008 | Women's Swimming and Diving
Aug. 15, 2008
BEIJING -- University of Texas volunteer assistant women's swimming coach Kirsty Coventry successfully defended her 2004 Olympic title in the 200-meter backstroke, smashing the world record to win gold Saturday at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
Coventry, who trains in Austin under UT and Zimbabwe head women's swimming coach Kim Brackin, led from wire-to-wire, finishing in 2 minutes, 5.24 seconds to break the world-record mark of 2:06.09 set by American Margaret Hoelzer at the 2008 U.S. Olympic Trials. Hoelzer won the silver in 2:06.23, and Japan's Reiko Nakamura took the bronze in 2:07.13.
Coventry picks up her first gold medal at the Beijing Games after winning silver in the 400m IM, 100m backstroke and 200m IM. She re-claimed the world record she had set earlier this year at the Missouri Grand Prix before it was broken by Hoelzer.
