South African Olympic Finalist Pieter Coetze Clocks Lifetime Best 100 Free

2025 SOUTH AFRICAN SENIOR NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS

• Wednesday, April 9th – Sunday, April 13th
• Newton Park Swimming Pool, Gqeberha, South Africa
• LCM (50m)
• SwimSwam Preview
• Meet Central
• Psych Sheet
• Day 1 Recap
• Results

The 2025 South African Senior National Championships continued from Gqeberha and, although he wasn’t in a backstroke event, 20-year-old Pieter Coetze made waves in the 100m free.

Stopping the clock at 48.63, Coetze broke the 49-second barrier for the first time in his young career. He split 23.31/25.32 to get the job done.

Entering this competition, Coetze’s lifetime best rested at the 49.12 logged at the 2024 edition of this competition.

Coetze was the sole sub-49-second swimmer, as University of Georgia’s Ruard van Renen collected silver in 49.34 and Guy Brooks bagged the bronze in 49.39.

Of note, promising 17-year-old Kris Mihaylov dipped under the 50-second threshold for the first time. He hit 49.85 to beat his previous PB of 50.60 from last year.

The women’s 100m free saw national record holder Erin Gallagher get to the wall first, registering a gold medal-worthy outing of 54.94.

26-year-old Gallagher opened in 26.38 and closed in 28.56 to hold a comfortable advantage over Olivia Nel who settled for silver in 55.46. Caitlin De Lange also landed on the podium in 55.77 for bronze.

22-year-old Rebecca Meder made the World Championships grade en route to winning the women’s 200m breaststroke.

Meder punched a time of 2:23.61, easily clearing the ‘A’ cut of 2:25.91 needed for Singapore.

Also getting it done was Kaylene Corbett who notched a mark of 2:24.70 as the only other swimmer under the 2:30 threshold.

Meder now ranks 3rd in the world this season while becoming South Africa’s 4th-best performer in history.

Top 5 South African Women’s 200m Breaststroke Performers All-Time

1. Tatjana Smith (nee Schoenmaker) – 2:18.95, 2021
2. Kaylene Corbett – 2:22.06, 2021
3. Suzaan Van Biljon – 2:23.21, 2012
4. Rebecca Meder – 2:23.61, 2025
5. Penny Heyns – 2:23.64 1999

Additional Notes

• Matt Sates, who is entered in a monster schedule of 11 events here, earned 400m IM gold in 4:19.24 to double up on his 200m IM gold from last night. He beat the field by nearly 10 seconds but fell shy of the World Championships time standard.