| Zimbabwe at the 2016 Summer Olympics | |
|---|---|
 | |
| IOC code | ZIM |
| NOC | Zimbabwe Olympic Committee |
| Website | www |
| in Rio de Janeiro | |
| Competitors | 31 in 7 sports |
| Flag bearer | Kirsty Coventry[1] |
| Medals |
|
| Summer Olympics appearances (overview) | |
Zimbabwe competed at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from 5 to 21 August 2016. This was the nation's tenth consecutive appearance at the Olympics, after gaining its independence from the former Rhodesia.
The Zimbabwe Olympic Committee (ZOC) fielded a team of 31 athletes, 9 men and 22 women, to compete in seven different sports at the Games.[2][3] It was the nation's largest ever delegation sent to the Olympics in a non-boycotting edition and the second-largest overall. Among the sports represented by the nation's athletes, Zimbabwe marked its Olympic debut in equestrian eventing and women's football, as well as its return to archery after nearly three decades.
Topping the list of athletes to make the Zimbabwean roster was swimmer Kirsty Coventry. At 32 years old and headed to her fifth Olympic Games, Coventry emerged herself as Zimbabwe's most decorated Olympian of all time, and Africa's most successful female swimmer in history, with a total of seven medals, including two golds in the women's 200 m backstroke. Because of her outstanding achievements in swimming, Coventry was chosen again to carry the Zimbabwean flag at the opening ceremony for the second consecutive Games.[1][4]
Apart from Coventry, the Zimbabwean team also saw four more athletes competing in more than one edition. Among the returnees were single sculls rower Micheen Thornycroft, marathon runner Wirimai Juwawo, along with his teammate and three-time Olympian Cuthbert Nyasango, and double trap shooter Sean Nicholson, the oldest member of the team (aged 42).[3]
For the second Olympics in a row, Zimbabwe left Rio de Janeiro without a single medal.[5] Before retiring from the sport, Coventry capped off her illustrious Olympic career with a sixth-place finish in the women's 200 m backstroke, the most successful outcome for Zimbabwe at the Games.[6]
- ^ a b "Kirsty Coventry to Carry Zimbabwe's Flag for Second Straight Games". Swimming World Magazine. 2 August 2016. Retrieved 5 October 2016.
- ^ Taderera, Tawanda (17 July 2016). "Zim assembles second largest Olympics team". Zimbabwe: The Standard. Retrieved 5 October 2016.
- ^ a b "Team Zim announced". Zimbabwe: The Herald. 17 July 2016. Retrieved 5 October 2016.
- ^ Mhlanga-Nyahuye, Marvellous (2 August 2016). "Gold Medalist Swimmer Kirsty Coventry Selected As Zimbabwe Flag Bearer". Zimbabwe: Voice of Africa. Retrieved 5 October 2016.
- ^ "Zimbabwe: We Simply Failed". Zimbabwe: The Herald. 22 August 2016. Retrieved 5 October 2016.
- ^ "Coventry caps Olympic career with 6th-place finish". Zimbabwe: The Standard. 12 August 2016. Retrieved 5 September 2016.