Kirsty Coventry broke several barriers when she became the president of the International Olympic Committee on Monday, as she is both the first woman and first African person to hold the position. Coventry's election to run the IOC shouldn't come as much of a surprise given her long history in Olympic athletics as a former competitive swimmer.

The first female and first African president of the IOC, Kirsty Coventry, was inaugurated in the role on Monday

Coventry detailed her vision for an IOC presidency in her candidate manifesto published last December (soon after she gave birth to her second daughter, Lily). She wrote that she was guided by the collaborative Ubuntu philosophy: I am because we are.