Zimbabwean minister

International Olympic Committee: The moment Kirsty Coventry stood in front of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) members in January, her words carried the weight of a lifetime spent defying limits. "I've lived the transformative power of sport," she said, her voice steady but charged with the conviction of an athlete-turned-stateswoman.

Weeks later, that conviction propelled her to a historic milestone -- the seven-time Olympic medalist and former Zimbabwean Minister of Youth, Sport, Arts, and Recreation was elected as the IOC's first female and African president, securing 49 votes in a landmark decision that may reshape the 131-year-old organization.

Coventry's journey to the pinnacle of global sport didn't begin in boardrooms but in the sun-baked pools of Harare. Born and raised in Zimbabwe, she was taught to swim by her mother and grandfather by age two, and she joined her first swim club by six, reports Xinhua.