Pieter Coetzé Adds 200m Backstroke Silver to Stellar Championship Campaign in Singapore

Singapore – August 1, 2025

South Africa’s Pieter Coetzé continued his exceptional form at the 2025 World Aquatics Championships on Friday, adding a silver medal in the men’s 200m backstroke to his earlier gold in the 100m backstroke — firmly establishing himself as one of the premier backstrokers on the global stage.

Swimming from lane four after clocking the fastest qualifying time in the semifinals, Coetzé attacked the race from the outset. He turned first at the 50 m and 100 m marks, dipping under world-record pace in the early stages. The aggressive strategy signaled his intent, but in the closing metres, Olympic and World Short Course champion Hubert Kós of Hungary mounted a powerful charge.

In a thrilling finish, Kós touched in 1:53.19, narrowly edging Coetzé, who stopped the clock at 1:53.36. Despite the narrow loss, Coetzé’s time shattered the African record he had set just 24 hours earlier in the semifinals — slicing nearly nine-tenths of a second off his previous best — and now ranks as the seventh fastest performance in history over the distance.

“Coming into this, I didn’t really expect to go that fast,” said Coetzé after the race. “This has exceeded all my expectations and it’s just a big honour to be in a race like that.”

Coetzé, 21, a University of Pretoria student, added that while he had planned to take the race out fast, he knew the second half would test his endurance. “I kind of expected to be out very fast. I could feel that I was moving at a high pace, and I knew that I would feel it in the end — and I did,” he explained. “But it’s a big PB for me, so I’m super-happy with the time.”

This silver adds to his 100 m backstroke gold from earlier in the week, and with the 50 m backstroke still to come on Saturday, Coetzé remains in the hunt for a third medal at these Championships.