Most athletes prefer not to line up as the favourite in an event when competing, but there are exceptions. Pieter Coetzé is one.
Therefore, it should come as no surprise that Tuks’ Sportsman of the Year has already declared that he wants to be the favourite in the 100 and 200 metre backstrokes at the 2028 Los Angeles Games.
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Given 21-year-old Coetzé’s performances at this year’s World Championships in Singapore, it is not impossible that he will be one of the favourites in the backstroke in Los Angeles. The 51.85 seconds with which he won the 100m backstroke make him one of the four fastest swimmers of all time in the event. Only eight swimmers ever dipped under 52 seconds in the event. The 1:53.36 he swam in the 200m backstroke at the World Championships is the seventh fastest of all time.
Why, as is often said in sport, does someone deliberately want to have the target on their back?
“I am not really bothered by what other people say or think. I am more confident when I swim well. Knowing that I am the fastest in the world at the moment will put me in a good mental state.”
Coetzé’s immediate goal is to win three gold medals in the backstroke at next year’s Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.
“It’s not going to be easy, but it’s doable if I can get myself in shape.”
Coetzé is toying with the idea of also competing in the 100m freestyle at the Commonwealth Games.
“It gets a bit repetitive competing in the same events all of the time. It would be nice to compete against other swimmers for a change. There are many big-name freestyle legends. It would be an honour to race against them at that level. At the World Student Championships, I swam 47.88 seconds in the 100m freestyle. If I can swim the same time at the Games, I should make the final. Everything will depend on the swimming schedule of the Games.”
Coetzé is a self-proclaimed racer. He makes no secret of the fact that when he competes, he swims to win. He is doing quite well. To date, he has won 10 medals (4 gold, 4 silver and 2 bronze) at the World Championships, Commonwealth Games and World Student Games.
The Tuks swimmer explains his success by saying that he is not built for training.
“I am pretty average when it comes to training, but when it comes to racing, it is a different matter. I am in a different mindset when I race. It is something I was born with.”
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One of the remarkable statistics of Coetzé’s swimming career is that he is the African record holder in all backstroke events but one. It’s only the 200m short course (25m) backstroke record that he hasn’t broken.
That’s a very good time. George du Rand set the world record with a time of 1:47.08. I believe I can improve on that. The problem is that I don’t participate in many short-course galas. I have only done so twice in the last four years.”
