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Pieter Coetzé wins again at student games as Bayanda Walaza enters fray

Pieter Coetzé wins again at student games as Bayanda Walaza enters fray

TimesLIVEa day ago
Pieter Coetzé picked up two more medals at the World Student Games on Monday night, including his second gold of the showpiece to lift South Africa to third on the medals table.
Coetzé won the men's 50m backstroke and finished second in the 100m freestyle to take his personal tally to three at the Universiade, which is mostly spread across Germany's Rhine-Ruhr region.
Guy Brooks, Ruard van Renen and Olivia Nel claimed their second bronze gongs of the gala as they finished third in the mixed 4x100m freestyle relay alongside Michaela de Villiers.
By early Tuesday morning South Africa's tally at the Games stood at two gold, two silver and two bronze which placed them third behind the US and Japan.
Coetzé dived into the freestyle race first, touching in 48.12sec to finish behind American Matthew King by 11-hundredths of a second.
A little more than an hour later he edged the backstroke event, finishing first in 24.49, just two-hundredths of a second in front of Korean Yoon Jihwan.
To date all South Africa's medals have come from swimming, which is being staged in Berlin, with Coetzé winning the 100m backstroke in a 51.99 world lead on Saturday night.
Other medals have come from double Commonwealth Games champion Lara van Niekerk, who claimed took silver in the women's 50m breaststroke, and Brooks, Van Renen, Nel and Simone Moll with bronze in the mixed 4x100m medley relay.
Athletics started in Bochum on Monday, with junior world champion Bayanda Walaza winning his heat in 10.27sec, the second fastest time of the round behind the man he beat into second place at the under-20 global competition, Thailand's Puripol Boonson (10.23).
Walaza's compatriot Kyle Zinn was third quickest in 10.33.
Walaza and Zinn will compete in the 100m semifinals on Tuesday evening, with the final scheduled for later Tuesday night.
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Bayanda Walaza wins Universiade 100m crown on profitable day for SA
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Bayanda Walaza wins Universiade 100m crown on profitable day for SA

Bayanda Walaza became the third South African to win the World Student Games 100m crown as he claimed South Africa's third gold medal of the 2025 showpiece in Germany on Tuesday night. The world junior champion crossed the line in 10.16sec as he downed Puripol Boonson of Thailand, the same man he beat at the under-20 global competition in Peru last year. Anaso Jobodwana was the first South African to win this crown in 2013 and Akani Simbine followed in 2015 — and now there's 19-year-old Walaza, who has added the Universiade title to his age-group crowns and Olympic 4x100m silver medal. But it wasn't all plain sailing for the Tshwane University of Technology student, who survived anxious moments in the semifinals. Walaza escaped a false start after one of his rivals twitched in his blocks before his own indiscretion. Then the field was called back for a faulty start and when they finally got under way for real at the third firing of the gun, Walaza didn't get away as cleanly as normal. But he did enough to win his heat by one-hundredth of a second. He made no mistake in the final to cap a profitable day for South Africa with no fewer than four medals on the day. In the women's 100m Gabriella Marais ended third in 10.51, seven-hundredths of a second behind Australia winner Georgia Harris. Colette Uys took bronze in the women's shot put with a heave of 17.34m, just 1cm in front of compatriot Mine de Klerk. Olivia Nel landed her third medal of the gala as she claimed bronze in the women's 50m backstroke in 27.91sec, breaking her own African record set earlier in the competition. Then she won the first semifinal heat of the women's 50m freestyle, clocking 24.96, the second-fastest time of the evening. Nel's podium finish added to the two bronze medals claimed in relay races, one of which she won alongside twin Georgia, in the mixed 4x100m freestyle relay.

Pieter Coetzé wins again at student games as Bayanda Walaza enters fray
Pieter Coetzé wins again at student games as Bayanda Walaza enters fray

TimesLIVE

timea day ago

  • TimesLIVE

Pieter Coetzé wins again at student games as Bayanda Walaza enters fray

Pieter Coetzé picked up two more medals at the World Student Games on Monday night, including his second gold of the showpiece to lift South Africa to third on the medals table. Coetzé won the men's 50m backstroke and finished second in the 100m freestyle to take his personal tally to three at the Universiade, which is mostly spread across Germany's Rhine-Ruhr region. Guy Brooks, Ruard van Renen and Olivia Nel claimed their second bronze gongs of the gala as they finished third in the mixed 4x100m freestyle relay alongside Michaela de Villiers. By early Tuesday morning South Africa's tally at the Games stood at two gold, two silver and two bronze which placed them third behind the US and Japan. Coetzé dived into the freestyle race first, touching in 48.12sec to finish behind American Matthew King by 11-hundredths of a second. A little more than an hour later he edged the backstroke event, finishing first in 24.49, just two-hundredths of a second in front of Korean Yoon Jihwan. To date all South Africa's medals have come from swimming, which is being staged in Berlin, with Coetzé winning the 100m backstroke in a 51.99 world lead on Saturday night. Other medals have come from double Commonwealth Games champion Lara van Niekerk, who claimed took silver in the women's 50m breaststroke, and Brooks, Van Renen, Nel and Simone Moll with bronze in the mixed 4x100m medley relay. Athletics started in Bochum on Monday, with junior world champion Bayanda Walaza winning his heat in 10.27sec, the second fastest time of the round behind the man he beat into second place at the under-20 global competition, Thailand's Puripol Boonson (10.23). Walaza's compatriot Kyle Zinn was third quickest in 10.33. Walaza and Zinn will compete in the 100m semifinals on Tuesday evening, with the final scheduled for later Tuesday night.

Coetzé wins South Africa's first gold medal at the World University Games
Coetzé wins South Africa's first gold medal at the World University Games

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Coetzé wins South Africa's first gold medal at the World University Games

21-year-old Pieter Coetzé claimed South Africa's first gold medal at the World University Games in Rhine-Ruhr this past weekend with his victory in the 100m backstroke. His winning time of 51.99 seconds is a new African and World Student Record. For now, it is also the fastest time in the world. It is incredible how Coetzé swam a speedier time every time he dived in. In the heats, his time was 53.34 seconds, and in the semi-finals, it was 52.18 seconds. There is a good chance that the Tuks swimmer will win more medals later in the later in the Games. The swimming program runs until Wednesday. His time of 24.50 seconds in the semi-final of the 50m backstroke was the fastest on Sunday, while he also qualified for the final in the 100m freestyle with another fastest semi-final time of 48.30 seconds, which is also a new personal best for him in this event. Coetzé is a specialist backstroke swimmer, but he makes no secret of the fact that he enjoys swimming the freestyle when the opportunity arises. He will, unfortunately, not compete in the 200m backstroke as he will also be competing in the World Championships in Singapore, which start this coming weekend. The time difference between Germany and Singapore is six hours. According to TuksSwimming head coach, Rocco Meiring, Coetzé must have sufficient time to acclimatise. Therefore, he will miss out on competing in the 200 m backstroke, which is one of the last items on the swimming program at the Student Games. Coetzé is often referred to as a true competitor. Someone who likes to test himself against the best. 'A lot of times when I train, it feels like I'm just an average swimmer. When I race, something happens. I'm different when competing than when training. I like competition and the pressure that comes with it,' he recently explained his onslaught during competitions. In an interview earlier this year Coetzé was asked about his preferences as a backstroke swimmer and what distance in the pool is his favourite. 'You could say the 200m backstroke is my best event, but I will always compete in the 100 and 50 meters. Remember, I come from a sprint background,' was his reply. – Another local swimmer from Pretoria, Lara van Niekerk, won the silver medal in the 50m breaststroke on Sunday. Do you have more information about the story? Please send us an email to [email protected] or phone us on 083 625 4114. For free breaking and community news, visit Rekord's websites: Rekord East For more news and interesting articles, like Rekord on Facebook, follow us on Twitter or Instagram At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!

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