Predicting who might medal during next month’s Doha World Swimming Championship is risky because, as everyone knows, races are won through guts and determination, not speculation.
But there are always exceptions. The 19-year-old Pieter Coetzé is one. Judging by his international heroics, the Tuks swimmer can medal in Doha. Over the last three years, he has gone from strength to strength. He is getting faster and more competitive every time he races.
In 2021, he was the youngest South African male swimmer to compete at an Olympic Games. He was 16 when he qualified and 17 when he competed. Since then, he has never looked back.
From 2022, he has medalled every time he has competed internationally. His medal tally includes winning three medals (gold, silver and bronze) in the backstroke events during the 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games. The same year, he won five medals (1 gold, 3 silver and 1 bronze) at the World Junior Championships in Lima. He has also medalled at smaller international events.
Last year, his primary focus was passing his matric exams. Still, in October, he found time to compete at the World Cup event in Athens and the European under-23 Championships in Ireland. Again, he medalled each time he raced a backstroke final. His medal tally included (3 gold and 3 silver). He finished the season having swum one of the six fastest times in the 50 and 100-metre backstroke.
According to Coetzé, the plan is not to really taper off in his training for the Doha World Championships. His only goal for 2024 is to be at his best at the Paris Olympic Games.
“Quite a few of the World’s best swimmers have opted to skip Worlds to focus on the Olympics. I have decided to do both. My goal for Worlds is to gain more experience and see where I am when competing internationally. But having said this, I am a competitor. I swim to win every time I race. It is who I am. When I race, it is never against any individual. I focus on my race, ensuring I execute my technique flawlessly.
“At the moment, I don’t have a best event. My training is geared to be competitive in the 100 and 200m backstroke events. I swim the 50 metres for fun as it is not an Olympic event.
“I have definite goals for the Paris Olympic Games. I have written down the times to remind me what I am working towards. Each day of training comes with its unique challenges. There is always some aspect of technique on which you can improve. Most days after training, I stay behind to work on my turns and swim underwater. It is also essential to have underwater videos taken so I can study my technique to see where I am still making mistakes.”
The Tuks swimmer seriously contemplated studying and training in the USA, but after serious consideration, he decided to stay in Pretoria.
“It is my dream to be a professional swimmer. If I had gone to the USA, I would have postponed my goal for four years. I also got a lot of freedom in Pretoria, a good coach – Rocc Meiring, and a good support structure, family and friends. So why change something that works.
“Tatjana Smith (Schoenmaker) has also proved by winning gold at the Olympic Games and the World Champs and setting a world record that you can be the best when training in Tuks.”