Coetze wins gold in the 100-metre backstroke at the World Championships

Pieter Coetze caused a big surprise this afternoon when he won the 100-meter backstroke at the World Swimming Championships in Singapore.

The Tuks psychology student's winning time of 51.85 seconds is one of the three fastest ever in the 100-metre backstroke and a new African record. Only Italy's Thomas Ceccon (51.60s) and Russia's Kliment Kolesnikov (51.82s) have swum faster times. It is worth noting that Ceccon is the world record holder and current Olympian champion in the event.

Ceccon finished second in 51.90 seconds and France's Yohann Ndoye-Brouard third in 51.92 seconds. The result proved the television commentators were correct, saying that the 100 metre backstroke final is going to be a fight to the end, as quite a few champions, current and past, are competing. They know what it takes to win.

The television commentators describe the last 25 metres of the race as follows: "Coetze is challenging... Coetze... Coetze is going to get it. The South African takes gold. What an upset. 51.85 seconds. What a big-time performance from the 21-year-old. He was racing at the World University Games in Berlin, where he swam three personal bests. 51.99 seconds in the final of the 100 metre backstroke. He has competed more in the last two weeks than all his competitors combined. And now it has paid off."

When asked after his race whether he thought he would be a World Champion, Coetze said, "Yes, I always thought it would happen eventually. In my mind, it was just a matter of time. It is amazing. I can't say it was expected. It was a gamble to swim at the World University Games. But so far it is working pretty well."

Coetze will compete on Thursday in the heats and semifinal of the 200-metre backstroke. During last year's World Championships, Coetze won bronze in the 200 metre backstroke. On Saturday, he will compete in the 50-metre backstroke heats and semifinal.

Coetze is the second Tuks swimmer coached by Rocco Meiring to win a world title. Tatjana Smith won the 200 metre breaststroke in 2023.