Commonwealth Games, Day Two Finals: Pieter Coetze Storms to Another Games Record in 50 Backstroke
Already one of the best backstrokers in the world, Pieter Coetze added to his resume on Saturday night. The 22-year-old from South Africa broke the Commonwealth Games record for the third time in as many swims in the 50-meter backstroke, his latest effort of 24.18 good for fourth in the world rankings.
Coetze is no stranger to the podium at these Games, especially in the 50 back, where he finished second in 2022. His time of 24.18 is half a second faster than his swim from 2022, where Coetze was the first seed going into finals. This time, he made sure to get his hand on the wall first. Coetze had the slowest reaction time of the field at .60, but after the first 15 meters, he led to the touch.
English 23-year-old Oliver Morgan finished second in a time of 24.48. This is just off his best time of 24.36, which was done earlier this year. This is a big step for Morgan, who reached the podium at an international long course meet for the first time.
Ruard van Renen of South Africa rounded out the podium with a time of 24.51. Like Coetze, van Renen got faster in every session. The 23-year-old swam for the University of Georgia and is the eighth-fastest in NCAA history in the 50 back. It is no surprise to see him reach the podium in this event, which marked just the seventh time that South Africa has had two men on the podium in the same race at the Commonwealth Games.
Isaac Cooper came into the race with the fastest time in the field. The 2024 world champion finished in sixth place with a time of 24.73. This time is over half a second slower than his best of 24.12.
With Coetze in great form, his next swims in the 100 and 200 back should be no short of world-class. Expect Coetze to have a chance at additional Commonwealth Games records in the coming days.