Pieter Coetzé snatches 3rd medal at World Aquatics Championships
The 21-year-old added the 50m backstroke silver to his 100m gold and 200m silver, thus becoming the only man to reach the podium for all three backstroke events at these championships.
Pieter Coetzé won a silver medal in the 50m backstroke final at the World Aquatics Championships on Sunday, 3 August 2025. Picture: World Aquatics.
JOHANNESBURG – Pieter Coetzé snatched his 3rd medal at the World Aquatics Championships on Sunday.
The 21-year-old added the 50m backstroke silver to his 100m gold and 200m silver, thus becoming the only man to reach the podium for all three backstroke events at these championships.
“I don’t think I’ve ever tied in a final at this level, so it’s pretty cool. I’m very happy. I don’t really train for the 50, I train for the 200, so to be able to go down so far and win a medal in the 50 is amazing,” said Coetzé.
He broke another continental record time of 24.17 seconds to share the silver with Pavel Samusenko, who touched in exactly the same time, with Kliment Kolesnikov taking the gold in a championship record of 23.68 seconds.
“Kliment went very fast. That’s an extremely fast time, so it was an honour to be in that race and hopefully I can push myself and also get below 24 seconds.”
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SA swimmer Pieter Coetzé competing at the World Aquatics Championships in Singapore. Picture: World Aquatics.
The Tuks psychology student equalled Roland Schoeman’s record of claiming three medals at a single long-course world championships – the former Olympic champion having achieved the feat in 2005.
“It’s amazing. It’s something I always dreamed of,” said the Pretoria star. “I can see myself making strides towards being the swimmer I always knew I could be, so it’s nice to see that I’m improving and getting there slowly. But I’ve always believed it, and a part of me had always known, so now to see it in front of me is amazing. I’m very proud and blessed,” said Coetzé.
Coetzé’s silver on the final day of the championships meant South Africa finished in 11th place on the swimming medal table in Singapore, which was topped by the United States.