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NEW YORK. — Kirsty Coventry of Zimbabwe and Michael Phelps will be inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame in September, leading a class that also includes his career-long coach Bob Bowman, plus Trischa Zorn-Hudson, the most decorated Paralympian in history with 55 medals.

They’re joined in the class of 2023 by fellow swimmers Missy Franklin, Kosuke Kitajima and Cesar Cielo, diver Wu Minxia, artistic swimmer Natalia Ischenko, water polo player Heather Petri, open-water swimmer Stèphane Lecat, coach Chris Carver and special contributor Sam Ramsamy. The Hall of Fame is in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

Athletes become eligible for induction after being retired for four years or at least one Olympic quadrennial.

Those 30 and older who have not officially retired may be considered for induction if they otherwise meet eligibility requirements.

Coventry, a five-time Olympian and fellow backstroker, became the first and so for lone individual Olympic medalist for Zimbabwe, taking seven medals between the 2004 and 2008 Games. She has been an IOC member since 2013.

In fact, Coventry is the most decorated Olympian from the continent of Africa. And not just in swimming, in ALL sports. She and Kristina Egerszegi are tied for having won the most individual Olympic medals in women’s swimming. She has competed in five Olympic Games, from 2000-2016, and she won all but one of Zimbabwe’s Olympic medals. 

In total, she won two gold, four silver and two bronze Olympic medals, all individual. She is a four-time world champion, and five-time world-record holder. She is a 22-time medalist at her native All-Africa Games, 14 of which were gold. And to show her versatility, the events ran from the 50 to 800m freestyle, to the breaststroke events, IM and her signature backstroke events. Like Phelps, she could swim it all.

Phelps retired after the 2016 Rio Games with Olympic records of 28 medals and 23 gold medals. He was inducted into the US Olympic and Paralympic Hall of Fame last year.

Zorn-Hudson, the first Paralympian to be inducted into the Hall of Fame, won her 55 medals from 1980 through 2004. She was also inducted into the US Olympic and Paralympic Hall of Fame last year.

Franklin, a backstroker and freestyler who retired in 2018, won four gold and one bronze at the 2012 Olympics as a rising high school senior. She followed that with a female record six golds at the 2013 Worlds, then began dealing with injury setbacks.

Kitajima is considered by many the greatest backstroker in history. The Japanese megastar swept the 100m and 200m events at the 2004 and 2008 Olympics among seven total medals in four Olympic appearances.

Cielo won Brazil’s first and so far lone Olympic swimming gold medal, taking the 50m freestyle at the 2008 Beijing Games. He remains the world record holder.

China’s Wu is one of two divers to win five Olympic gold medals.

The Russian Ishchenko won gold in all five of her Olympic events from 2008 through 2016. Petri was on the first four US Olympic women’s water polo teams, earning four medals, including gold in 2012, her final Games.

The Frenchman Lecat took bronze in the open-water 25km at the 2001 World Championships. This year’s International Swimming Hall of Fame honourers include:

Honour Swimmers: Michael Phelps (US), Kosuke Kitajima (Jpn), Cesar Cielo (Bra), Missy Franklin (USA) and Kirsty Coventry (Zim); Honour Diver: Wu Minxia (Chn); Honour Synchronised (Artistic) Swimmer: Natalia Ischenko (Rus); Honour Water Polo: Heather Petri (US); Honour Open Water Swimmer: Stèphane Lecat (Fra); Honor Coach: Bob Bowman (USA) and Chris Carver (US); Honour Contributors: Sam Ramsamy (SA) and Paralympian: Trischa Zorn (US). — Yahoo Sport.