Record Olympic medal winner Michael Phelps and Zimbabwe’s Kirsty Coventry are among those to be inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame.
The Hall of Fame is an institution honouring the achievements of individuals in a particular activity or field.
Coventry, 39, is an International Olympic Committee (IOC) member who is being talked about as a prospective future candidate for the IOC Presidency.
The seven-time Olympic swimming medallist is the most decorated Olympian in any sport from Africa.
She and Krisztina Egerszegi share the record for the most individual Olympic medals in women’s swimming.
Coventry who is Zimbabwe’s Minister of Youth, Sports, and Recreation, competed in five Olympic Games, from 2000 to 2016, and has won all but one of Zimbabwe’s eight Olympic medals.
She won two Olympic golds after tasting glory in the 200 metres backstroke at Athens 2004 and Beijing 2008.
The Zimbabwean also won four silvers and one bronze, all in individual events.
She is a four-time world champion and a five-time world record holder, and since 2018 has been serving as Zimbabwe’s Sports Minister.
Coventry was inducted into the Hall of Fame together with American swimming legend, Phelps, Inside The Games reported. During his swimming career, American legend Phelps swam in five Olympic Games between 2000 and 2016, winning a record total of 28 Olympic medals.
He has 23 gold, three silvers and two bronzes. He could swim any stroke and the 37-year-old set 39 world records in his career, winning 27 world titles.
Others inducted are:
1). Missy Franklin of the United States: retired in 2018 having won four golds and a bronze at the London 2012 Olympics. She set a female record of six world golds the following year.
2). Japan’s Kosuke Kitajima: won the 100 and 200m breaststroke at Athens in 2004 and retained both titles at Beijing in 2008.
3). Cesar Cielo of Brazil: won the Beijing 2008 men’s 50m freestyle title and earned two Olympic bronzes, six world golds and five short-course titles.
4). China’s Wu Minxia: won five Olympic diving golds between Athens in 2004 and Rio in 2016.
5). Trischa Zorn of the US: was blind from birth, becomes the first Paralympian to be recognised. She is the most successful athlete in the history of the Paralympics, having won 55 medals – 41 gold, nine silver and five bronze – between 1980 and 2004. In 2012 she was inducted into the Paralympic Hall of Fame.
6). Bob Bowman and Chris Carver of the US are named in the coaching section.
7). Natalia Ischenko of Russia has been included in the Hall of Fame for artistic swimming.
8). Heather Petri of the US, a member of the victorious team at London 2012 who then added two Olympic silvers and a bronze, as well as three world golds. Honoured from water polo.
9). Stephane LeCat of France is named in the open water category.
10). South Africa’s anti-apartheid campaigner Sam Ramsamy is honoured as a contributor.