As swimming in South Africa faces one of its darkest hours, Pieter Coetzé looks set to answer its call.
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).
The 100m backstroke, with the heats and semifinals scheduled for Monday and the final on Tuesday, will be a battle royale. “There have been some very fast times from all over, and the field is very bunched up. But I think that’s just going to bring the best out of all of us, and we’ll push each other So, I’m pretty excited to race all these guys,” said Coetzé, who also became the first South African to dip under 48 seconds in the 100m freestyle in Germany.
He went 47.88 in the men’s 4x100m freestyle relay, but in the individual race a few days later managed a best of 48.12, which earned him a silver medal alongside his 100m and 50m backstroke gongs.
But, according to his team, Coetzé will compete only in the three backstroke events in Singapore. The gala is the first real test facing South Africa’s athletes on their journey to the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
The canoe sprint championships are set for late August, and athletics and rowing will take place in September.
Coetzé wasn’t the only South African to underline his potential at the Universiade, as the student showpiece is known. Bayanda Walaza claimed the 100m-200m double, replicating the feats of Anaso Jobodwana 12 years ago. He is also only the third South African to win the 100m crown, after Jobodwana and Akani Simbine.
While the 2025 world championships will be too soon to expect individual medals from Walaza, Coetzé has announced himself as a contender. He will also compete in the 200m backstroke, with the heats and semifinals on Thursday and final on Friday; and the 50m backstroke, where the heats and semifinals are set for Saturday and the final on Sunday — the last day of the gala.
The swimmer went 24.49 in the 50m backstroke final at the student games, a comparatively modest time which ranked him 11th in the world.
Needing to get to Singapore in good time, Coetzé didn’t compete in the 200m backstroke in Germany, keeping his abilities in this event out of the world’s gaze. He won South Africa’s only medal at the unseasonal 2024 world championships in Doha, which was missing many top stars, but in Singapore he will fight to maintain South Africa’s lineage of medallists dating back 24 years to Roland Schoeman.
South Africa kicked off the opening session this morning with Erin Gallagher (100m butterfly), Rebecca Meder (200m individual medley) and Chris Smith (100m breaststroke) in the heats.
Meder, who will also compete in the 100m and 200m breaststroke, competed in Europe ahead of the gala. “I’m looking forward to seeing what times I can personally post but also how competitive I can be against the rest of the world.”
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