Pieter Coetzé Powers into 100m Backstroke Final at World Champs

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South Africa’s swimming sensation continues to shine with the third-fastest qualifying time in Singapore.

Pieter Coetzé has booked his spot in the men’s 100m backstroke final at the World Aquatics Championships in Singapore, clocking an impressive 52.29 seconds in the semi-finals on Monday evening.

The 21-year-old star opened his campaign with a strong 52.80 in the morning heats before slicing more than half a second off his time to place second in his semi-final and third overall going into the final.

Among the World’s Fastest

Only Hungary’s Hubert Kos (52.21) and Russia’s Kliment Kolesnikov (51.26) swam faster than Coetzé in the semi-finals. However, the South African remains the fastest backstroker in the world this year after claiming gold at last week’s World University Games in a record-breaking 51.99 – an African record.

“It was good. I just wanted to make it back for the final,” Coetzé said after the race. “I was happy with the time and the swim, and to get second in the semis is a good result.”

While acknowledging the speed of his competition, including newcomers from Russia, he added: “I don’t really focus on the people I’m racing against. I just focus on what I need to do.”

Looking ahead to Tuesday’s final, Coetzé remained calm and focused. “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.”

Mixed Day for Team South Africa

Earlier in the day, three more South African swimmers took to the pool with varying results:

Rebecca Meder placed 27th in the women’s 100m breaststroke, clocking 1:07.50. “It was a personal best time for me, so I can’t complain,” she said.
Matt Sates came 32nd in the men’s 200m freestyle with a time of 1:48.45. “It wasn’t my best one… but it’s nice racing for South Africa and to get the first race done.”
Catherine van Rensburg finished 26th in the gruelling women’s 1500m freestyle. “That was very hard. I did not enjoy it really,” she admitted.

Medal Hopes Rest on Coetzé

Tuesday’s action will see Chris Smith and Aimee Canny enter the fray, while all eyes will be on Coetzé as he aims to deliver South Africa’s first medal of the championships.

With his blistering form and calm composure, Coetzé is undoubtedly one of the top contenders heading into the final — and a potential history-maker for South African swimming.