adminAccording to reports from Paris, Coventry and Yannick Agnel of France each earned double wins during the first night of the finals on Friday as Day One of the Paris Open featured several quick times from some of the top European and Australian swimmers in the world, in what may be their final competition before the London Olympics.
The 2012 London Olympic Games are set to run from July 27 to August 12 and Coventry will be out there to defend her women’s 200m backstroke title which she first won at the Athens Games in Greece in 2004 before retaining it at the Beijing Games in China four years later.
And the 28-year-old Zimbabwean swimmer once again gave a strong indication that she will be the person to beat at the London Games when she walked away with two gold medals during the opening night of the Paris Open Swimming Championships on Friday.
Coventry first swept to victory in the 200m individual medley before winning her favourite 200m backstroke event.
Reigning Olympic silver medallist Coventry looked strong in the women’s 200IM, posting a time of 2:13.60 for the victory.
She has a bit to go to reach her silver medal-winning time of 2:08.59 from 2008 Beijing Games, but is close to her fastest time of 2012, a 2:12.65 from January.
Spain’s Duane Da Rocha Marce hit the wall second in 2:15.29, while France’s Lara Grangeon touched third in 2:16.18.
Coventry won her second event of the evening in the women’s 200m backstroke, the event in which she won Olympic gold in 2004 and 2008.
She had an incredible last 50m to surge past Anastasia Zueva of Russia and Spain’s Da Rocha Marce and post a 2:10.10.
Zueva settled for second in 2:10.36, while Da Rocha Marce was third in 2:10.60.
Online Reporter