Coetzee Catches World Championships Qualifying Mark In 100 Fly

2019 SOUTH AFRICAN NATIONAL SWIMMING CHAMPIONSHIPS

• Tuesday, April 8th – Friday, April 12th
• Kings Park Aquatic Centre, Durban
• LCM
• Psych Sheet
• SwimSwam Preview
• Day 1 Recap/Day 2 Recap
• Results

While competing in the heats of day 3 of the 2019 South African National Swimming Championships, which serve as the selection meet for this summer’s World Championships in Gwangju, Korea, 23-year-old Ryan Coetzee hit a qualifying mark in the men’s 100m butterfly.

Splitting 23.98/27.97, the former Tennessee Vol punched a top-seeded effort of 51.85 to land lane 4 for tonight’s final. He’ll contend with 2nd seeded Chad le Clos, who clocked a time of 52.16 behind Coetzee this morning.

The FINA A cut is 51.96, so Coetzee managed to dip under the marker by .11 this morning, and prelims times indeed count for South African qualification.

For Coetzee, this morning’s outing represents the first time he’s been under the 52-second threshold in the event, with his previous personal best resting at the 52.10 he put up at last year’s World Cup stop in Kazan. He rendered just a 54.17 at last year’s Commonwealth Games, a time which put him out of the final.

With his performance here in Durban, Coetzee remains the 3rd fastest South African performer ever in the event, sitting only behind Olympian Le Clos (50.56) and Lyndon Ferns‘ 51.59.

In the season’s world rankings, Coetzee slides into #11, while holding the 8th fastest mark of 2019.