Pieter Coetzé took the spotlight in Tashkent, winning the 100m backstroke at the second World Cup leg. The 22-year-old South African swimmer clocked an impressive 48.21 seconds, setting a new African record and finishing nearly a full second ahead of Russian rival Pavel Samusenko.
Just a day earlier, Coetzé had already made waves by breaking the 50m backstroke world record on Friday night. His latest performance came tantalizingly close to the 100m world record, missing it by just 0.05 seconds. That mark was set by Hungarian Hubert Kós in October last year. Coetzé, still wrapping his head around his achievements, said, "If you asked me to rank which world record I thought I’d break first, the 50 back short course would probably be the last one that I would put on the list, so I’m pretty shocked at it as well."
In a virtual chat with journalists, Coetzé described the unique feeling of breaking a world record, something that stood out even among his other accomplishments. "It’s definitely a different feeling from anything else I’ve accomplished so far. I don’t know if it’s fully sunk in yet, but I feel breaking a world record definitely elevates it to a new level, " he shared.
Training in Pretoria at Tuks, Coetzé has a track record of success in backstroke events. Last year, he clinched the 100m backstroke title and took silver in the 50m and 200m at the world championships in Singapore. More recently, he scored a backstroke treble at the Commonwealth Games.
Looking to the future, Coetzé's eyes are set on the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. He sees 2027 as a key year for training. "Next year will definitely be a bit more of a training year, I think, building up to the Olympics the year after, because that’s what all of this is for. That’s what we’re looking forward to, " he remarked.
Coetzé also pointed to the thriving state of South African swimming, highlighting the recent medal wins by fellow swimmers Michael Houlie, Aimee Canny, and Rebecca Meder on the World Cup circuit this season. "I think it’s a very good sign. I think we’re probably in a better place as a country in swimming than we’ve been for a long time. I love seeing the others performing well, " he noted.
As Coetzé gears up for the final World Cup leg in Astana, Kazakhstan, he currently sits second in the overall rankings, behind Russia’s Egor Kornev. He aims to join the ranks of South African swimming greats like Chad le Clos, Cameron van der Burgh, Matthew Sates, and Ryk Neethling as series champions.
