2025 World Championships
- July 27 – August 3, 2025 (pool swimming)
- Singapore, Singapore
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- LCM (50m)
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The final of the men’s 200m backstroke unfolded on day six of the 2025 World Championships, with the main event producing multiple spectacular times.
Capturing the gold was Olympic champion Hubert Kos of Hungary, ripping a new European Record of 1:53.19 to become the 5th-best performer of all time.
Behind him as the silver medalist was 21-year-old Pieter Coetze, with the South African scorching a new lifetime best and African record of 1:53.36.
Frenchman Yohann Ndoye-Brouard rounded out the podium in 1:54.62, just off his French record of 1:54.47 from last night’s semi-final.
As for Coetze, already the 100m backstroke champion here, the one-time Cal commit destroyed his previous career-swiftest and African record of 1:54.22 notched yesterday.
That effort already obliterated the previous South African and African record of 1:55.60 Coetze clocked en route to placing 7th in the 2back event at the 2024 Olympic Games.
| Coetze’s New 1:53.36 African Record | Coetze’s Semi-Final 1:54.22 African Record |
| 25.88 | 26.31 |
| 28.60 | 28.74 |
| 29.26 | 29.62 |
| 29.62 | 29.55 |
For reference as to how fast tonight’s final was, both Kos and Coetze handily beat the gold medal-winning time from last year’s Olympic Games. Kos was indeed the champion, hitting 1:54.26 to earn gold in Paris.
Additionally, Kos and Coetze represent just the 3rd and 4th sub-1:54 200m back performances we’ve been treated to during the 2020s.
Kos now ranks as the 5th-quickest performer of all time while Coetze bumped himself up to become the 7th-best in history.
Top 10 Men’s LCM 200 Backstroke Performers All-Time
- Aaron Peirsol (USA) – 1:51.92, 2009
- Ryosuke Irie (JPN) – 1:52.51, 2009
- Ryan Lochte (USA) – 1:52.96, 2011
- Mitch Larkin (AUS) – 1:53.17, 2015
- Hubert Kos (HUN) – 1:53.19, 2025
- Evgeny Rylov (RUS) – 1:53.23, 2021
- Pieter Coetze (RSA) – 1:53.36, 2025
- Tyler Clary (USA) – 1:53.41, 2012
- Ryan Murphy (USA) – 1:53.57, 2018
- Xu Jiayu (CHN) – 1:53.99, 2018
