2024 WORLD AQUATIC CHAMPIONSHIPS
- February 11th – February 18th, 2024
- Doha, Qatar
- LCM (50m)
- Meet Central
- SwimSwam Preview Index
- Official Entries
- Live Results
- How To Watch
- Day 1 Prelims Recap | Day 1 Finals Recap
- Day 2 Prelims Recap | Day 2 Finals Recap
- Day 3 Prelims Recap | Day 3 Finals Recap
- Day 4 Prelims Recap | Day 4 Finals Recap
- Day 5 Prelims Recap | Day 5 Finals Recap
- Day 6 Prelims Recap| Day 6 Finals Recap
Read the previous continental recap here.
It was a big night for the continent of Africa on the 6th day of the 2024 Doha World Championships. South Africa had multiple swimmers competing in the semifinals of the 100 butterfly as well as swimmers in the women’s 200 back and 50 butterfly semi. But our focus is going to be on Pieter Coetze‘s bronze medal performance in the men’s 200 backstroke final.
MEN’S 200 BACKSTROKE – FINAL
- World Record: Aaron Peirsol, United States – 1:51.92 (2009)
- World Junior Record: Kliment Kolesnikov, Russia – 1:55.14 (2017)
- Championship Record: Aaron Peirsol, United States – 1:51.92 (2009)
- 2023 World Champion: Hubert Kos, Hungary – 1:54.14
- Olympic ‘A’ Qualifying Time: 1:57.50, Olympic ‘B’ Qualifying Time: 1:58.09
- Hugo Gonzalez (ESP), 1:55.30
- Roman Mityukov (SUI), 1:55.40
- Pieter Coetze (RSA), 1:55.99
- Jack Aikins (USA), 1:56.21
- Lee Juho (KOR), 1:56.38
- Apostolos Siskos (GRE), 1:56.64
- Adam Telegdy (HUN), 1:56.66
- Kai van Westering (NED), 1:57.19
Coetze, 19, burst onto the scene at the 2021 World Cup stop in Doha, where he swept the backstroke events. The meet was part of the World Cup circuit, where fellow South African youngster Matt Sates walked away as the World Cup champion.
Tonight in Doha, Coetze swam the 200 back finals out of lane 8, a result of barely scrapping into the final by virtue of posting a time of 1:57.07, edging out Tokyo Olympic medalist Luke Greenbank and 2022 Budapest medalist Ksawery Masiuk.
Tonight, it seemed as if the South African would be destined to remain 8th until the last 50 when Coetze blasted the fastest split in the field. Surging home in 28.67, he would pass five other swimmers to nab the bronze medal, .22 ahead of American Jack Aikins, who until that point had been in 2nd.
His final time of 1:55.99 was enough to win him the bronze in a new personal best time and represents the first piece of hardware for the South African team.
Compared to the rest of the field, Coetze’s 28.67 was the fastest split by .31. Only gold medalist Hugo Gonzalez has a split under 29 (28.98); the rest of the field was all 29 mid or higher, with the slowest split coming from Kai van Westering at 30.81. The Dutchman was 4th at the 150 mark.
Putting the split into historical perspective, Coetze’s closing 50 was faster than everyone from Fukuoka. Benedek Kovacs, who placed 5th last summer, finished with a last 50 of 28.71 and was the only swimmer to go sub 29. Going further back to 2022, not a single swimmer in that final closed faster than 29.40.
One may be tempted to say Pieter Coetze changed up his strategy from the semifinals, where he finished with a 30.00 last 50, but Coetze’s previous best time showed a similar strategy and an actually faster finish.
| Pieter Coetze | 1st 50 | 2nd 50 (Overall) | 3rd 50 (Overall) | 4th 50 (Overall) |
| Old PB -2022 World Juniors | 27.57 | 30.42 (57.99) | 29.73 (1:27.72) | 28.33 (1:56.05) |
| New PB- 2024 Worlds | 27.08 | 30.30 (57.38) | 29.94 (1:27.32) | 28.67 (1:55.99) |
If the South African can take out the race like he did in Doha and close in the same 28.33, then he should be within striking distance or under the South African and African Continental record. The record held by George Du Rand was set at the 2009 Rome World Championships during the super-suit era and sits at 1:55.75.
| Swimmer | 1st 50 | 2nd 50 (Overall) | 3rd 50 (Overall) | 4th 50 (Overall) |
| Pieter Coetze | 27.08 | 30.30 (57.38) | 29.94 (1:27.32) | 28.67 (1:55.99) |
| George Du Rand | 27.05 | 28.90 (56.50) | 29.47 (1:25.42) | 30.33 (1:55.75) |
The pair obviously swim the race very differently, with Du Rand taking it nearly a second faster but fading on the last 50, whereas Coetze appears to bide his time to make his move in the last stages of the race.
Other Storylines:
- Both Egypt’s Farida Osman and South Africa’s Erin Gallagher (who is having a great meet) advanced through the semifinals of the 50 fly. Osman, a multi-time medalist in the event, heads into tomorrow’s final as the #3 seed (25.80), and Gallagher, who just recently reset the 100-fly continental record, enters as the #6 seed.
- Coetze wasn’t the only man from his country to make a final, as Chad le Clos won the first semifinal of the 100 fly and qualified for tomorrow’s 100 fly as the #5 seed (51.70). Teammate Matt Sates, who had to win a swim-off to make the semis finis, finished in 10th (51.99).
NATIONAL/CONTINENTAL RECORDS THROUGH DAY 6:
- Botswana
- Adrian Robinson: Men’s 50 Breast – 28.60
- Namibia
- Ronan Wantenaar: Men’s 50 Breast – 27.81
- Senegal
- Matthieu Seye: Men’s 100 Free – 51.41
- South Africa
- Erin Gallagher: Women’s 100 Fly – 57.56
- Uganda
- Jesse Ssuubi Ssengonzi: Men’s 50 Fly – 24.41
- Gloria Anna Muzito: Women’s 100 Free – 56.55
Medal Table (Africa) Through Day 6:
| RANK | NATION | GOLD | SILVER | BRONZE | TOTAL |
| 1 | South Africa | 1 | 1 |