2025 World University Games
- July 17th-23rd, 2025
- Berlin, Germany
- LCM (50 Meters)
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21-year-old Olympian Pieter Coetze of South Africa already announced his presence at these 2025 World University Games but the man took things to an entirely new level in tonight’s 100m backstroke final.
With the medals on the line, Coetze ripped a monster effort of 51.99 to reap gold and establish a shiny new Championships Record.
Coetze’s effort also broke the African Record he set just last night in the semi-finals, a time of 52.18 which easily overtook the former World University Games Record of 52.60 Japanese Olympic icon Rysouke Irie put on the books during the 2009 supersuit era. His record prior to the meet was the 52.71 that he swam at the South African National Championships earlier this year.
Tonight, Coetze split 25.19/26.80 to get the job done, beating the field by over half a second in the process.
American William Modglin secured silver in a still-impressive 52.54 while stars n’ stripes teammate Daniel Diehl rounded out the podium in 52.94.
Splits Comparison:
| Coetze’s New World University Games & African Record | Coetze’s Former African Record | |
| 1st 50 | 25.19 | 25.42 |
| 2nd 50 | 26.80 | 26.76 |
| Time | 51.99 | 52.18 |
Coetze now ranks #1 in the world and his eye-popping 51.99 marker renders the 2024 World Championships 200m breaststroke bronze medalist the 8th fastest man in history.
2024-2025 LCM Men 100 Back
CECCON
51.80
| 2 | Pieter Coetze | RSA | 51.85 | 07/29 |
| 3 | Yohann NDOYE-BROUARD | FRA | 51.92 | 07/29 |
| 4 | Kliment Kolesnikov | RUS | 52.04 | 04/14 |
| 5 | Oliver Morgan | GBR | 52.12 | 04/17 |
Top 10 Men’s LCM 100 Backstroke Performers All-Time
- Thomas Ceccon (ITA) – 51.60, 2022
- Kliment Kolesnikov (RUS) -51.82, 2023
- Ryan Murphy (USA) – 51.85, 2016
- Xu Jiayu (CHN) – 51.86, 2017
- Aaron Peirsol (USA) – 51.94, 2009
- Evgeny Rylov (RUS) – 51.97, 2019
- Hunter Armstrong (USA) – 51.98, 2022
- Pieter Coetze (RSA) – 51.99, 2025
- Matt Grevers (USA) – 52.08, 2012 & Miron Lifincev (RUS) – 52.08, 2024
For additional perspective, the South African’s new PB tonight would have grabbed Olympic gold, beating Paris champion Thomas Ceccon of Italy by .01.
Remarkably, Coetze is competing at this year’s World Championships in Singapore so we haven’t seen the last of this dynamo who is ready to take on the world.
I’ve only been hearing this from other SA athletes that this is the beginning of the taper cycle for their world championship team. I’m very interested to see how Pieter will now do at worlds. Btw amazing swim for Will I was def not expecting him to drop a 52.5 and Dan to go 52.9 a lot of surprises this year and it does seem like the men’s team will likely be just fine in Singapore.
Maybe this will age well and maybe it won’t but it seems very clear Texas did not really rest for Nattys and I’m very interested in seeing how they do next week. I wouldn’t be shocked if Luke and Rex drop historically fast… Read more »
Shaine and Carson too
If he is tapered I hope he can hold his taper travelling from Europe to Singapore in the next week or so and perform like this
If he can, we need to throw out the rule book about taper, traveling, changing time zones, and needing to acclimate to an area before racing.
Hope he can match or better this in Singapore but I have doubts. He must’ve really wanted to add a WUGs title to his résumé.
Job well done. 51.99 really spices up 100 back in the Worlds with suspense.
Unless Pieter Coetze plan to swim 51.5 in Singapore, I just can’t understand the wisdom to swim in Berlin fully tapered only one week before Singapore.
It worked for Kaylee McKeown back in 2023.
?
On the bright side for the U.S. you got 2 youngsters who can crack 52. Might not be the greatest year for backstroke, but at least by 27 and 28 there will be a few guys.
Huh who
A fabulous swim by Modglin! Way to go!
Wow, Mori was flying the second 100. Great 1:57.24.