2025 Worlds, Day 3 African Recap: Coetze’s African Record Caps off WUGS/Worlds Double Victory

2025 World Championships

• July 27 – August 3, 2025 (pool swimming)
• Singapore, Singapore
• World Aquatics Championships Arena
• LCM (50m)
• Meet Central
• How To Watch
• SwimSwam Preview Index
• Entry Book
• Live Results
• Live Recaps
  • Prelims: Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3
  • Finals: Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3

Pieter Coetze blasted himself to the top of the World Ranking earlier this month when he won the 100 backstroke at the World University Games in Berlin. The South African who was his nation’s sole medal winner in all sports at the 2024 Doha Worlds has quickly put his nation into the medal table with his win tonight in the 100 backstroke.

After qualifying into the final 3rd fastest, Coetze was right in the thick of it at the 50, just .05 back of the #2 performer of all time, Kliment Kolesnikov. However, Coetze had the perfect balance of early speed and backhalf power as he also came home 3rd quickest to stop the clock in 51.85, holding off the late charge of Thomas Ceccon and Yohann Ndoye-Brouard.

Not only was the win a new African record, but it tied Ryan Murphy‘s 51.85 from Rio as the 3rd fastest performance ever in the event. However, the race was also more than that as it made Coetze the 3rd swimmer ever to record multiple swims under 52, joining Ceccon, who has three, and Murphy, who has four.

After the race, Coetze said, “I think I was very calm and relaxed going into it. I think sometimes you can be too tense and force it, but I was just super relaxed and excited and happy to be here.”

“It’s amazing. To call myself a world champion in a field like that. I don’t even think about my career, it’s just the feeling right now, I’m trying to soak it all in and can’t really put it into words.”
“I’m over the moon, I don’t even know what to say. To win in a field like that. KOLESNIKOV, CECCON, all those big names. And I knew it was going to be a big race.”

The 21 year-old, who jumped into the swimming world’s eyes with a gold medal at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in this event, has not only become one of the premier backstrokers in the world, but the leading figure in South African swimming, as he is the first male swimmer since 2019 to win a gold medal for his nation. He spoke about this win’s impact on his nation, stating, “It means a lot. Our country loves sports. You can see that when our rugby teams play, in cricket, soccer, football, all of that stuff. We love sports in our country, and sports really unites our people. So to do it for the country means much more than to get the win for myself.”

The connection to 2019 goes deeper than this as well. With the win, Coetze not only becomes the first swimmer since Qin Haiyang won both the Worlds and WUGS titles in 2023, but he joins fellow backstroker and compatriot Zane Wadell in doing so. In 2023, WUGs were held after Worlds due to their postponement from 2021, but in 2019, Wadell, like Coetze, managed the two-week double taper as he won the 50 back at both meets.

Other Day 3 Continental News

• Tunisia’s Ahmed Jaouadi posted a statement swim in the prelims of the men’s 800 free as he earned lane 4 in tomorrow night’s final. Jaouadi pulled away from Olympi Gold medalists Daniel Wiffen and Lukas Martens to stop the clock in a new personal best of 7:41.58.
• 24-year-old Ronan Wantenaar of Namibia entered the meet as the 20th seed in the 50 breast with a time of 27.05, but sliced an impressive .20 off that time to qualify 7th fastest into the semifinal of the event. Tonight, Wantenaar came ever so close to making the final as he finished tied for 10th at 26.94 with the 100 short course world record holder Ilya Shymanovich. The pair was each just .01 away from the 8th-place finishers, Antonie Viquerat of France and Luka Mladenovic of Austria.

Continental Medal Table

Continental Records

• Men’s 100 Back: Pieter Coetze – 51.85

National Records

• Benin
  • Alexis Kpade: Men’s 100 Back – 57.25
• Kenya
  • Haniel Kudwoli: Men’s 100 Breast– 1:04.92
• Libya
  • Anas Ganedi: Men’s 100 Breast– 1:09.89
  • Anas Ganedi: Men’s 50 Breast– 31.14
• Maldives
  • Mohamed Rihan Shiham: Men’s 200 Fly – 2:25.20
• Morocco
  • Samy Boutouil: Men’s 50 Breast – 27.78
• Namibia
  • Ronan Wantenaar: Men’s 50 Breast – 26.85
• Seychelles
  • Adam Moncherry: Men’s 50 Fly – 24.84
• South Africa
  • Pieter Coetze: Men’s 100 Back – 51.85
• Uganda
  • Jesse Ssengonzi: Men’s 50 Fly – 24.32
• Zambia
  • Zach Moyo: Men’s 100 Breast – 1:05.64
  • Zach Moyo: Men’s 50 Breast – 29.04