Zimbabwean swim star Kirsty Coventry has chosen a coach for her new training in Monaco, which will begin this week at the behest of her good friend, and former Olympic swimmer, Princess Charlene of Monaco (fromerly Charlene of South Africa).
Coventry told me this morning that the man to make her plan would be Serbian coach Branislav Ivkovic. He is one of the top coaches in Serbia, though his most famous charge is the princess herself, whom he trained in her attempt for the 2008 Summer Olympics that was derailed by injury.
Coventry will work with Ivkovic to try and recapture her form from the first decade of the millenium that included two Olympic gold medals (both in the 200 back), to go with four silvers and a bronze (and 4 World Championships). She chose to leave her previous training ground in South Africa after citing too many distractions from being so close to her native Zimbabwe, where she is one of the country’s biggest sports stars.
Good to see the Prince and Princess of Monaco supporting a great Olympic swimmer as she trains for London 2012. Everyone knows the Princess is also an Olympic swimmer, but not too many know that Prince Albert is also an excellent, though not as accomplished swimmer.