2022 FINA WORLD JUNIOR SWIMMING CHAMPIONSHIPS
- August 30-September 4, 2022
- Lima, Peru
- Long Course Meters (50m), Prelims/Semis/Finals
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On the final night of racing at the 2022 World Junior Swimming Championships, South Africa’s Pieter Coetze delivered a new meet record to win the 200 backstroke. Coetze swam a 1:56.05 to take out the 1:56.69 that Spain’s Hugo Gonzalez set back in 2017 in Indianapolis.
Coetze won the event by more than two seconds and was followed by Hidekazu Takehara from Japan (1:58.22) for silver and Ksawery Masiuk of Poland (1:58.55) for bronze.
In addition to being a new meet record in this event, Coetze’s 1:56.05 is a new personal best and improves upon the 1:56.77 he swam at the Commonwealth Games in August 2022. This swim also gets Coetze even closer to the South African national record in this event of 1:55.75 that George Du Rand holds from the 2009 World Championships. Coetze didn’t race this event at the 2022 World Championships, but his time here would have been good enough for 4th overall in the final.
This isn’t the first meet record that Coetze has hit at 2022 World Juniors and the 200 makes it a trifecta. During the semi-finals of both the 50 and 100 backstrokes, Coetze lowered the CR to a 24.58 and a 52.95. He improved upon the records set by Michael Andrew in 2017 and Thomas Ceccon in 2019, respectively.
But Ceccon’s semi-finals prowess in the 50 and 100 did not translate to gold as Ksawery Masiuk managed to overtake him in both finals. Masiuk reset both meet records, hitting a 24.44 and 52.91 to win double gold. Coetze placed second in both of those events but was slower than his semi-finals swims, delivering a 24.61 and 52.99, respectively.
Coetze closes his summer with this swim by winning a sixth individual backstroke medal, going 3-for-3 at both the Commonwealth Games and World Junior Championships. At Birmingham 2022 he won Commonwealth hold in the 100 backstroke (53.78), silver in the 50 backstroke (24.77), and bronze in the 200 (1:56.77).
I think you made a typo:
“But Ceccon’s semi-finals prowess in the 50 and 100 did not translate to gold as Ksawery Masiuk managed to overtake him in both finals.”
if ceccon was a jr swimmer still, I would be impressed by his ability to grow a stache