Pieter Coetzé Sets African Record on Way to Baku Gold

Photo Credit: World Aquatics

The South African swimmer clocked 49.11 in the 100m backstroke to claim gold and rewrite the continental record.

Baku, Azerbaijan (06 October 2026) – Pieter Coetzé has added another big moment to an already impressive week in Baku.

The South African swimmer claimed gold in the men’s 100m backstroke on the third night of the World Aquatics Swimming World Cup, stopping the clock at 49.11 to set a new African record.

Coetzé had already collected gold in the 200m backstroke on the opening night before taking silver in the 50m backstroke on day two. This time, he went one better and rewrote the continental mark along the way.

“I’m very happy with that. I just wanted to get the win and it’s a good time too, so I’ll take it,” Coetzé said.

The result came in front of another lively Baku crowd, with the South African holding off Russia’s Pavel Samusenko, who finished second in 49.24, while American Shaine Casas took third in 49.89.

“I got some feedback, I’m going to look at the videos and tweak what I need to tweak, and hopefully I can improve,” he said.

And if his Baku form is anything to go by, that could make for an interesting rest of the series.

The South African currently sits third in the men’s overall World Cup rankings on 55.6 points, behind Luke Barr on 57.4 and Russian leader Kirill Kornev on 59.3.

Kornev claimed his third gold medal of the Baku stop in the men’s 50m butterfly, winning in 21.64, while Dutch star Marrit Steenbergen also finished the opening leg at the top of the women’s rankings.

China’s Yu Yiting also had a record-breaking night, setting an Asian record of 2:02.80 in the women’s 200m individual medley.

But for South Africa, the spotlight was firmly on Coetzé.

The 22-year-old’s three medals in Baku have given him a strong start to the Silk Road Tour.

There is still plenty of racing ahead, with Coetzé already looking towards what he can improve rather than simply settling for the results he has banked.

The African record is his. And with the South African still looking for ways to get faster, there is still plenty more to come.