Kirsty Coventry becomes first woman to be elected IOC president - ESPN

COSTA NAVARINO, Greece — Kirsty Coventry was elected president of the International Olympic Committee on Thursday, becoming the first woman and first African to get perhaps the biggest job in global sports.

The Zimbabwe sports minister and two-time Olympic swimming gold medalist got a stunning first-round win in the seven-candidate contest after voting by 97 IOC member on Thursday.

She gets an eight-year mandate into 2033 at just 41 — youthful by the historical standards of the IOC.

Kirsty Coventry was elected as IOC President, over fellow presidential candidates HRH Prince Feisal Al Hussein, David Lappartient, Johan Eliasch, Juan Antonio Samaranch, Lord Sebastian Coe and Morinari Watanabe. pic.twitter.com/9S0F0z0PWm

It was the most open and hard-to-call IOC presidential election in decades, with no clear front-runner before the vote. Many predicted an absolute majority could take several rounds of votes, but she got the exact total of 49 needed.

Coventry's win also was a victory for outgoing IOC president Thomas Bach, who has long been seen as promoting her as his successor. He did not use his right to vote.

«I will make all of you very, very proud and hopefully extremely confident in the decision you have taken,» Coventry said in her acceptance speech. «Now we have got some work together.»

Walking to the podium, she was congratulated and kissed on both cheeks by Juan Antonio Samaranch, her expected closest rival, who got 28 votes. Sebastian Coe, in third place, got just eight.

Also in the race were four presidents of sports governing bodies: Along with track and field's Coe, contenders included skiing's Johan Eliasch, cycling's David Lappartient, and gymnastics' Morinari Watanabe. Also contending was Prince Feisal al