SA swim star Pieter Coetze toast of World University Games after 100m backstroke gold

outh African swim star Pieter Coetze continued to make a splash at the FISU World University Games in Germany at the weekend, breaking through the magical 52-second barrier in the 100m backstroke final on Friday night.

After clocking 47.88 while leading off South Africa’s 400m freestyle relay on Thursday, the Tuks swimmer recorded his best time as he smashed the African record in Friday’s 100m backstroke semi-finals with a time of 52.18.

Coetze held the previous African record courtesy of his 52.58 from the Paris Olympics final. His time in the University Games semi-final was also four-tenths of a second under the previous record of 52.60 that Ryosuke Irie set back in 2009.

Coetze then went even faster in the final, securing gold in his signature event with a time of 51.99 – the fastest time in the world this year.

He became the eighth-fastest man in history in the event, according to the Swimming World website. His performance was also quicker than the 52.00 posted by the Italian Thomas Ceccon to win Olympic gold in the event in Paris last year.

Coetze maintained a slight lead over American Will Modglin at the halfway point and then accelerated down the stretch. Modglin earned silver in 52.54, while fellow American Daniel Diehl secured bronze in 52.94.

With the victory, Coetze now becomes a serious gold-medal favourite in the event at the World Championships in Singapore. The South African swimming sensation could yet add to his burgeoning reputation in the 50m backstroke and 100m freestyle at the World University Games in Rhine-Ruhr.