Pieter Coetze needs to swim 0.05 seconds faster in the 100m backstroke in Astana, Kazakhstan, on Thursday; if he succeeds, he will set a second world record within seven days in the Swimming World Cup Series.
Is it possible? Rocco Meiring (Tuks’s head coach) believes it is achievable.
“Given how the swimmers are pushing each other in the backstroke events during the World Series (25m pool), it is certainly possible. It simply depends on how tired they are. I haven’t spoken to Pieter yet to hear how he is feeling.
“As I have said before, winning the gold medal in the backstroke at the 2028 Los Angeles Games will require a world record. I am absolutely convinced of this, because men’s backstroke is currently so competitive.”
Last weekend in Uzbekistan, Coetze won the 100m backstroke in 48.21 seconds. Hungary’s Hubert Kos improved the world record to 48.16 seconds in Canada last year.
Earlier this year at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Coetze narrowly missed breaking the 100m backstroke world record (50m pool). The Tuks swimmer won the final in 51.71 seconds. Thomas Ceccon (Italy) holds the world record at 51.60 seconds.
Last Friday in Uzbekistan, Coetze improved the world record (25m pool) to 22.09 seconds. Is it special for a coach when one of his swimmers sets a world record?
“When it happened last Friday, it felt unreal to me. Swimming a world record is obviously the ultimate achievement for any swimmer or coach because it sets a new world standard. What also encourages me is that Pieter’s times keep improving,” said Meiring.
“What made Pieter’s record even more special was the fact that, as a coach, I was feeling completely down and out last week. A storm in Pretoria caused power outages across the city. It affected us at the university sports campus too. The situation got so bad that I had to park cars around the pool to provide light so the swimmers could finish their training sessions. Then Pieter swam the world record, which made me realise all over again why I want to coach.”
Given that Coetzee now holds the world record in the 50m backstroke (25m pool) and very nearly broke the world record in the 100m backstroke at the Commonwealth Games, what is his best distance?
“Before the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, Pieter was ranked sixth in all three backstroke events (50m, 100m, and 200m). Few swimmers balance speed and speed endurance so well. Pieter and I will need to have a serious discussion about the way forward once he is back in South Africa.
“I don’t think the 50m backstroke must be a priority. We don’t know what to expect from the 50m backstroke because it hasn’t been swum at the Olympic Games yet. If we take the 50m freestyle—which is swum at the Games—as a case study, you see that the swimmers who excel are sprint specialists. Swimmers can specialise in the 50m and 100m. You can also specialise in the 100m and 200m, but the training is completely different. I believe the 200m backstroke could become his signature event.”
Why can Coetze step up every time it matters?
“He has got big match temperament, which is something I certainly can’t coach swimmers to have. Pieter is also as tough as nails.”
