Pieter Coetzé joins elite club with three world medals

Pieter Coetzé will be able to testify that good things happen in threes after winning a silver medal in the 50m backstroke at the World Championships in Singapore yesterday.

And with good reason. The Tuks psychology student is only the second South African swimmer to win three medals at a World Championships. He is the 100m backstroke champion and was second in the 200m backstroke. He is the only man to reach the podium for all three backstroke events at these championships.

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Roland Schoeman won the 50m freestyle and breaststroke events at the 2005 World Championships in Montreal and was second in the 100m freestyle.

But that’s not where Coetzé’s story ends with three. In the space of seven days, he improved during the World Championships the African record in the 50m backstroke (24.17s), 100m backstroke (51.85s) and the 200m backstroke (1:53.36). He is currently the only swimmer in Africa to hold all three records in the same event at the same time. Actually, the only backstroke record that he has not yet bettered is the 200 metre short course event.

Yesterday Coetzé lined up for the 50m final as the third fastest qualifier behind two Russians – world record-holder Kliment Kolesnikov and Pavel Samusenko. On Saturday, during the semifinal, he set  an African record. He went even quicker in the final, powering across the pool in another continental record time of 24.17 seconds to share the silver with Samusenko, who touched in precisely the same time, with Kolesnikov taking the gold in a championship record of 23.68 seconds.

ALSO READ: Coetzé completes World University Games medal hat trick by winning gold and silver in the pool

“I don’t think I’ve ever tied in a final at this level, so it’s pretty cool. I’m thrilled. 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 a thrilled Coetzé afterwards during a poolside interview.

On being only the second South African swimmer to win three medals at a World Championships, Coetzé said, “It’s amazing. It’s something I always dreamed of. I can see myself making strides towards becoming the swimmer I always knew I could be.”

Apart from Coetzé, Kaylene Corbett was the only South African who medalled at the World Championships. Both are coached by Rocco Meiring (TuksSwim head coach).