Cometh the hour, cometh Pieter Coetzé, high-flying backstroke star
Since the world championships became a two-yearly event in 2001, the country has made the podium at every edition.
With the retirement of breaststroke queen Tatjana Smith after the Paris Olympics last year, there have been fears of a vacuum leaving the country with no medals at the 2025 global gala in Singapore that started today.
But Coetzé torpedoed that notion at the World Student Games in Germany last weekend, blitzing an incredible 51.99sec in the 100m backstroke that lifted him to No 1 in the world. That time would have won gold at the Paris Olympics last year, and nobody has been under 52 seconds since 2023.
Now he's a target for the likes of Olympic 100m backstroke champion Thomas Ceccon of Italy, and China's runner-up Xu Jiayu, as well as Hungarian Hubert Kos, the Games 200m backstroke king who missed the 100m final in France.
Ceccon, owner of the 51.60 world record from 2022, won the 100m backstroke at the 2024 Games in 52.00, ahead of Xu in 52.32. Other form competitors are Russian Kliment Kolesnikov, who went 52.04 in April, as well as Briton Oliver Morgan (52.12), Miron Lifintsev, another Russian (52.15) and Kos (52.24).
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
IOL News
7 hours ago
- IOL News
Coetzé charges into 100m backstroke final with world-leading form
South Africa's Pieter Coetzé powered through his 100m backstroke semi-final in Singapore, qualifying third-fastest for Tuesday's final after beating Olympic champion Thomas Ceccon. Photo: Swimming SA Image: Swimming SA Pieter Coetzé booked his place in the 100m backstroke final at the World Aquatics Championships in Singapore, after powering to second place in his semi-final on Monday, finishing ahead of Olympic champion Thomas Ceccon of Italy. The 21-year-old star had secured his semi-final spot with a time of 52.80 seconds in the morning heat and then went even quicker in the semis, clocking 52.29. That performance saw Coetzé qualify third-fastest for the final, behind Hungary's Hubert Kós (52.21) and Russia's Kliment Kolesnikov (51.26). Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Ad loading Coetzé heads into Tuesday final with the fastest time in the world this year, having claimed gold at the World University Games in Germany just nine days ago. There, he posted an impressive African and World Student Games record time of 51.99 seconds, becoming only the eighth swimmer ever to dip under 52 seconds in the 100m backstroke. He also won gold in the 50m backstroke and earned a surprise silver in the 100m freestyle at the University Games. 'It was good. I just wanted to make it back for the final and I was happy with the time and the swim, and to get second in the semis is a good result,' said Coetzé, after his semi-final. 'I knew it was going to be fast … I've swum with most of these guys but the Russians are new to me. "I haven't swum against them and they're also really fast, but I don't really focus on the people I'm racing against. I just focus on what I need to do.' As for the final, he added: 'I know what I need to do, so I'll just go and look at the video and see where I can work on things and come back refreshed tomorrow.' Earlier in the day, three other South Africans were in action in the morning heats. Rebecca Meder finished ninth in her heat and 27th overall in the 100m breaststroke with a time of 1:07.50. 'It was a personal best time for me, so I can't complain — that's the best I've ever swum in the 100 breast,' she said. Matt Sates, meanwhile, placed 32nd overall in the 200m freestyle heats, clocking 1:48.45. 'It wasn't my best one. I think I went out a little bit hard, so I died at the end,' he admitted. 'But it's nice racing for South Africa and to get the first race done.' Catherine van Rensburg, who also competed in the open water events at these championships, finished 26th overall in the 1 500m freestyle. 'That was very hard. I did not enjoy it really,' she said. 'I felt strong in the warm-up and all, but it looks like it didn't all work out.' Swimming action continues on Tuesday with Chris Smith in the 50m breaststroke heats and Aimee Canny in the 200m freestyle heats, while Coetzé will be aiming to secure South Africa's first medal of the championships in the 100m backstroke final.
The Citizen
10 hours ago
- The Citizen
Pieter Coetze targets SA team's first medal at World Aquatics Champs
Coetze was third fastest in the penultimate round of the 100m backstroke. Pieter Coetze will compete in the 100m backstroke final in Singapore on Wednesday. Picture: Roger Sedres/Gallo Images Versatile swimmer Pieter Coetze looks set to challenge for South Africa's first medal at the World Aquatics Championships in Singapore after qualifying for the 100m backstroke final on Monday. Coetze was third fastest in the semifinals, touching the wall in 52.29 seconds. Only Hubert Kos of Hungary (52.21) and Kliment Kolesnikov of Russia (52.26) went quicker. Medal attempt 'I know what I need to do (in the final), so I'll just go and look at the video and see where I can work on things and come back refreshed tomorrow,' Coetze, the Commonwealth Games champion, said afterwards. The 21-year-old South African, who won gold at the World Student Games in Germany earlier this month in an African record of 51.99, will return to the pool for the 100m backstroke final on Tuesday (1.56pm SA time). After two days of the swimming gala at the global showpiece, Coetze was the only SA swimmer to have progressed beyond the semifinals. Day one On Sunday's opening day of the swimming competition, Rebecca Meder and Erin Gallagher had both made it safely through the heats of their events but did not reach the medal contests. Meder was 10th overall in the women's 200m individual medley semifinals, completing the four-length race in 2:11.05 and missing out on a spot in the final by 0.54. Gallagher ended 13th overall in the women's 100m butterfly semifinals in 57.48.
TimesLIVE
11 hours ago
- TimesLIVE
Pieter Coetzé earns podium seeding after tight 100m backstroke semifinals
Pieter Coetzé bagged the third seeding position in Tuesday's 100m backstroke final at the world championships in Singapore after a pair of hard-fought semifinals on Monday night. The South African, who set a 51.99 world lead at the World Student Games in Germany just more than a week ago, touched second in the second heat in 52.29sec, behind Hungarian Hubert Kos, the Olympic champion in the 200m backstroke, in 52.21. Russian Kliment Kolesnikov won the first semifinal in 52.26, just nine-hundredths of a second ahead of the Olympic champion in this event, Italy's Thomas Ceccon, also owner of the 51.60 world record who kept enough in reserve to clinch bronze in the 50m butterfly half an hour later. Just 0.36sec — or the blink of an eye — separated the eight fastest swimmers, who included Oliver Morgan of Britain (52.41), Apostolos Chrisou of Greece (52.44), Frenchman Yohann Ndoye-Brouard (52.47) and Russia's Miron Lifintsev (52.57). It's probably the greatest depth of competition a South African swimmer has ever faced.
