KIRSTY Coventry sat down for her first interview since she took office as International Olympic Committee president this week with the Olympic Channel’s Director of Daily Content, Benny Bonsu to recount her journey from the “pool to the policy table.” The seven-time Olympic medallist spent most of her childhood dreaming of competing at the Games. Now, she’s taking the helm and leading the IOC into a new era, marked with challenges that are very different from her Olympic dreams. In her one-on-one interview, Coventry expressed how excited she was to start her role and that she felt honoured to be given the opportunity that seemed like a natural progression from being an Olympian. She pinpointed the exact moment that she knew her purpose meant more than just winning medals. “I think that was probably right at the beginning when I became an Athlete Commission member and got to see how having a voice at the seat of the table. It was so empowering. “Coming into the movement as an athlete representative, you suddenly, —and I’m sure we all have different moments where you have your moment of just realizing, ‘oh, this is a new purpose’, and having the opportunity to give back to a movement that changed my life,” Coventry shared. Coventry’s time at the Athlete Commission began in 2012, a year that she competed in the London Olympics, but for the first time, failed to medal. The twice-crowned Olympic champion spoke of contemplating her career transition. “When I was able to become an Olympian in 2000, the drive was, let’s focus on medals, right? To have that goal for 20-plus years and then to have to know or realise my Olympic career might be coming to an end. That might be the end of that journey. It was really wonderful to find that career path into the athletes.” Coventry spoke of what it was like to pivot from her own personal interests to thinking about the athlete community as a whole. Through the Athlete Commission, her mission became representing the athletes and supporting them in their Olympic journey. Now, as IOC head, she’ll have the chance to represent everyone involved in the Games. “Now it’s the movement. Right now, I get to be a protector of this movement and have the goal of ensuring that we continue to inspire the next generation, as well as making sure we create incredible Games and platform, and all the stakeholders are happy. I’m excited about that next challenge.” The first woman and the first African to lead the 131-year-old organisation highlighted that she was not one to be underestimated. “I like being an underdog. I like that people tend to look at me and be like, Oh, she’s very young. Maybe she doesn’t have as much experience,” Coventry said. The 41-year-old added that she’s experienced things “that nobody else has gone through” and reflected on growing up in Zimbabwe. “No one else has come from Zimbabwe and lived through a time that was very challenging for us as a country, while being a top athlete and the pressure that comes with it.” Coventry also opened up about her struggles growing up as an Olympic hopeful and revealed that she was bullied by her peers for dreaming big. While it seemed easier to ignore her earlier critics, she told Bonsu that her family had always taught her to be diplomatic. She furthered that there are “always gonna have people that aren’t gonna believe in your dream” and offered some advice to women hoping to step into leadership roles. “Know that you’re capable, hold that within yourself, and be confident enough to just show them,” she said. Nine-year-old Kirsty Coventry may have dreamt big, but not quite as big as holding the most important role in the Olympic Movement. Despite now being older, wiser, and with a lot more medals and experience than that little girl, Coventry admits that her younger self has had it right all along. “I think nine-year-old Kirsty was on track —having those big dreams, not being afraid to share them. I think sometimes we need to go back to being little, a bit more. What we were like when we were kids,” she recounted. – insidethegames.com/Sports Reporter