FLASH! Pieter Coetze Soars to 50 Back World Record at World Cup in Tashkent
Pieter Coetze blazed to a 50 back world record of 22.09 at the World Cup in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.
The South African cut 0.02 from the previous standard of 22.11 held by Kliment Kolesnikov since November 2022.
Second at the turn in 10.92, 0.08 behind Egor Kornev, an 11.17 second 25 propelled Coetze past the Russian and into the wall. It also lowered the World Cup record of 22.23 set by Kornev at the first stop in Baku last week.
Kornev was second in 22.29 with Pavel Samusenko making it a Russian 2-3 in 22.35.
It continues a glittering year for the 22-year-old who swept the backstroke treble at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, all in Games record time as he won the 50 in 24.18 and captured the 200 in 1:54.22.
Coetze rattled Thomas Ceccon’s 100 back WR in 51.77 to take the individual crown, then the second-fastest in history.
Coetze wasted no time in setting about that time as he led off the South African men’s medley relay in 51.71 later that same evening to go within 0.11 of Ceccon’s standard of 51.60 that has stood since the 2022 World Championships in Budapest.
With his winning time of 51.85 at the 2025 World Championships in Singapore, Coetze now has three of the six fastest time in history.
He left Glasgow with six medals: three golds, mixed medley relay silver (51.98) and bronzes in the medley relay and 4×100 free.
