TASHKENT, Uzbekistan: South African swimmer Pieter Coetzé broke the men’s 50m backstroke short-course world record on Friday, 9 October, clocking 22.09 seconds at the World Aquatics Swimming World Cup. The swim took his medal tally from the opening two stops of the 2026 series to six by the end of 9 October: four golds, one silver and one bronze.
The 22-year-old lowered the previous mark of 22.11 seconds, set by Russia’s Kliment Kolesnikov in 2022, by two hundredths of a second.
Coetzé finished ahead of Russia’s Egor Kornev, who touched the wall in 22.29 seconds, and Pavel Samusenko, third in 22.35. Kolesnikov, the previous record-holder, finished sixth in 22.88.
The result adds a world record to a growing career for the South African, who had already established himself as a world champion in the 100m backstroke.
Two Hundredths Of A Second Make History
Coetzé’s record came in a 25m pool, the format known as short-course swimming. Records in these events are kept separately from those set in the 50m pools used for long-course competition.
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In a short-course 50m backstroke race, swimmers complete two lengths, which makes the start, turn, underwater phases and finish central to the result. The two-hundredths margin over the previous record shows how little separates an exceptional swim from a historic one.
The performance was especially notable because the field included Kolesnikov himself. Coetzé not only won the race but also improved a mark that had stood since 2022.
Six Medals Across Two World Cup Stops
The world-record swim was the standout result in a campaign that had already produced medals in Baku, Azerbaijan, before the circuit moved to Tashkent.
In Baku, Coetzé won the 100m backstroke in 49.11 seconds, an African short-course record, and the 200m backstroke in 1:49.64. He also took silver in the 50m backstroke in 22.51 seconds and bronze in the 100m individual medley in 51.60.
Those four medals showed the range of his performances, from the speed required for the 50m backstroke to the endurance and pacing demanded by the 200m event. The individual medley bronze added a podium finish outside his specialist stroke.
Coetzé continued that form in Tashkent, winning the 200m backstroke before taking gold in the 50m event with his world-record swim. His six-medal tally as of 9 October therefore comprised two golds from each stop, alongside the silver and bronze earned in Baku.
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Consistency Adds Weight To The Record
A world record can define a single evening, but Coetzé’s results across the two meets point to sustained form.
He has reached the podium in all three backstroke distances across the opening stops and won the 200m event at both. His improvement from 22.51 seconds in the Baku 50m final to 22.09 in Tashkent also underlines the progress he made between the two races.
For South African swimming, the achievement puts a South African in the world-record books and shows he can win against strong international opposition. The four gold medals give the campaign substance beyond its fastest swim.
Astana Offers The Next Test
The World Cup circuit’s final stop is scheduled for Astana, Kazakhstan, from 15 to 17 October, giving Coetzé another opportunity to build on his performances in Baku and Tashkent.
His immediate challenge will be to carry that form into the next meet. Whatever follows, the 22.09-second swim has already secured a significant milestone: a South African now holds the men’s 50m backstroke short-course world record.
