ATHENS, Greece - Kirsty Coventry completed her Olympic medal set with a victory in the 200-meter backstroke Friday night, giving troubled Zimbabwe its third swimming medal of the games.

“I am so excited,” she said. “It’s been a great week for me. I can’t believe it yet.”

The 20-year-old redhead also won a silver in the 100 backstroke and a bronze in the 200 individual medley — her nation’s first swimming medals.

“I’ve worked hard this week and only had to get a gold to make the full package,” she said. “It happened and I am over the moon.”

Coventry finished first in 2 minutes, 9.19 seconds — nearly a half-second faster than silver medalist Stanislava Komarova of Russia. Reiko Nakamura of Japan took bronze in 2:09.88

Zimbabwe won its only other Olympic medal, a gold in field hockey, at the boycotted 1980 Moscow Games.

“I just hope everyone at home is as excited as I am,” she said.

Her country could use some good news.

The African nation is suffering its worst economic crisis since independence from Britain in 1980, with soaring prices and acute shortages of food, gasoline and essential imports.

Unemployment is estimated at 70 percent, with the inflation rate soaring to nearly 400 percent, the world’s highest.

Zimbabwe has teetered near collapse since 2000, when political upheaval and often-violent seizures of white-owned farms under President Robert Mugabe’s authoritarian regime disrupted agriculture and tourism.

“Zimbabwe has been going through a rough time,” Coventry said. “Every country goes through some bad years and good years. I just hope this gives Zimbabwe hope.”

Coventry gained notice in the United States by upsetting Natalie Coughlin in the 200 backstroke at this year’s NCAA championships. It was the American’s first loss in college.

Coventry swims at Auburn University in Alabama, but returns home every summer to be with her family in the capital of Harare. That’s where she learned to swim at age 2 and joined her first team at 6.

Her parents were swimmers, and her grandparents were coaches.

Coventry is a white athlete in a predominantly black country that has been wracked by racial tensions.

“Color doesn’t matter to me,” she said. “I’m very proud to be representing Zimbabwe. It’s been amazing having the silver and the bronze. It was like if I could just get one more, that would be perfect.”

Swimming - Women's 200-meter Backstroke (medals: Aug. 20th) Medal Athlete Country Result Gold Kirsty Coventry Zimbabwe 2:09.19 Silver Stanislava Komarova Russia 2:09.72 Bronze Reiko Nakamura Japan 2:09.88 NBCO: Schedules, preliminary result and complete final results

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