Latest news with #PieterCoetze
IOL News
a day ago
- Sport
- IOL News
Coetze's gamble pays off with stunning world title in Singapore
Pieter Coetzé celebrates winning gold in the 100m backstroke final at the World Aquatics Championships in Singapore on Tuesday. Photo: Supplied Image: SSA South Africa's young swim sensation Pieter Coetzé's impressive recent spell in the pool continued with a gold medal in the 100m backstroke final at the World Aquatics Championships in Singapore on Tuesday. The new world champion stormed to the win, dipping below 52 seconds for the second time in the past two weeks. It was a victory that the Tuks psychology student felt was coming at some stage, though he admitted he didn't expect it to happen so soon. The South African kicked with about 10m to go to take the title in 51.85 seconds, lowering his own South African and African record for the third time in quick succession. He narrowly missed out on the world record of 51.60. July 19th: World University Games 100m Backstroke Gold ✅ July 29th: World Aquatics Championships 100m Backstroke Gold ✅ July 29th In the span of ten days, Pieter Coetze wins both events and gets his first ever World Title! 🥇#AQUASingapore25 #Swimming — World Aquatics (@WorldAquatics) July 29, 2025 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. 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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. Next Stay Close ✕ Olympic champion and world record holder Thomas Ceccon of Italy took silver in 51.90, while Yohann Ndoye-Brouard of France claimed bronze in 51.95. The 21-year-old Coetzé had posted the world lead in the 100m backstroke earlier this year, when he swam an African and World Student Games record time of 51.99 seconds in Germany—becoming only the eighth swimmer in history to go under 52 seconds in the event. There was a risk that those exertions would have taken too much out of the rising star to remain competitive at the Singapore showpiece. Thankfully for Coetzé, it gave him the sharpness he needed to pull off the win in a closely contested final few metres. 'I always thought it would happen eventually. In my mind, it was just a matter of time. To do it this year is amazing and I can't say it was expected, especially because it was a gamble going to the World University Games right before this. But it's working pretty well,' Coetzé said, in his post-race television interview. Speaking again a little later, he added: 'It was awesome. The competition was very deep here, so there were eight guys who could have won it. 'The (World) University Games prepped me really well. The guys went fast there as well. But I'm over the moon. It was anyone's game. I knew that going into it, and to get away with the win is awesome.' He said of the time he swam: 'Every time I break (the African record`0, I'm really happy with it. "I can't explain, but it was more about the win tonight than the time, so if I won with a second slower time, it would still be as good. I think in a final you don't really think about the time at all.' "𝑺𝑶𝑼𝑻𝑯 𝑨𝑭𝑹𝑰𝑪𝑨 𝑪𝑳𝑨𝑰𝑴 𝑮𝑶𝑳𝑫 𝑨𝑻 𝑻𝑯𝑬 𝑾𝑶𝑹𝑳𝑫 𝑪𝑯𝑨𝑴𝑷𝑰𝑶𝑵𝑺𝑯𝑰𝑷𝑺!" 🔥 🇿🇦 Pieter Coetze wins gold in the Men's 100m Backstroke 🥇#AQUASingapore25 | #SSSwimming — SuperSport 🏆 (@SuperSportTV) July 29, 2025 Coetzé had qualified third-fastest for the final, behind Hungary's Hubert Kós (52.21) and Russia's Kliment Kolesnikov (51.26). With the leading swimmers deadlocked with 25m to go, Coetzé produced a devastating burst of pace to surge to the wall and claim victory. The top three all finished under 52 seconds. He will return to the pool on Thursday for the heats and semi-final of the 200m backstroke — an event in which he won bronze at last year's World Championships. On Saturday, he is also set to compete in the 50m backstroke heats and semi-final. Meanwhile, South Africa's Chris Smith secured his place in the 50m men's breaststroke final in Singapore with a second-place finish in Tuesday's semi-final in an impressive time of 26.77, behind Koen de Groot of the Netherlands. The final is scheduled for Wednesday. Wednesday's programme will also see Olivia Nel, fresh from her four medals at the World University Games, lining up in the heats of the 50m backstroke. Matt Sates will take on the 200m individual medley and the South Africans will also be in action in the mixed 4x100m medley relay.
The Citizen
a day ago
- Sport
- The Citizen
First medal for Team SA: Pieter Coetze wins gold at World Aquatics Champs
Coetze broke his own African record in the 100m backstroke. Pieter Coetze, seen here at a World Cup gala, achieved a podium dplace at the World Championships in Singapore. Picture: Roslan Rahman/AFP Pieter Coetze lit up the pool on Tuesday, storming to victory in the men's 100m backstroke final and bagging the SA team's first medal at the World Aquatics Championships in Singapore. Coetze triumphed in 51.85 seconds, winning his first world senior title. He also sliced 0.14 off his own African record of 51.99 which he had set when he won gold at the World Student Games in Germany earlier this month. He won a tight battle for the medals, edging out Olympic champion Thomas Ceccon of Italy who grabbed silver in 51.90 and Yohann Ndoye Brouard of France who settled for bronze in 51.92. Smith qualifies for final Meanwhile, 19-year-old South African prospect Chris Smith booked his place in the men's 100m breaststroke final. Smith, the world junior record holder in the short course 50m breaststroke, was fifth fastest overall in the semifinals of the sprint event in 26.77 seconds. He will return to the pool on Wednesday (2.03pm SA time) for the medal contest.
The Citizen
2 days ago
- Sport
- 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.
IOL News
20-07-2025
- Sport
- IOL News
SA swim star Pieter Coetze toast of World University Games after 100m backstroke gold
Pieter Coetze of SA took gold in the 100m backstroke final in a record 51.99 at the FISU World University Games in Germany on Saturday. outh African swim star Pieter Coetze continued to make a splash at the FISU World University Games in Germany at the weekend, breaking through the magical 52-second barrier in the 100m backstroke final on Friday night. After clocking 47.88 while leading off South Africa's 400m freestyle relay on Thursday, the Tuks swimmer recorded his best time as he smashed the African record in Friday's 100m backstroke semi-finals with a time of 52.18. Coetze held the previous African record courtesy of his 52.58 from the Paris Olympics final. His time in the University Games semi-final was also four-tenths of a second under the previous record of 52.60 that Ryosuke Irie set back in 2009.
