Pieter Coetze Leads Deepest Event

Men’s 100 Backstroke: Pieter Coetze Leads Deepest Event in Men’s Swimming

For virtually a decade, Ryan Murphy was a world stalwart within the males’s 100 backstroke, profitable Olympic gold in 2016 and a world title six years later. He missed a world podium precisely as soon as, by one hundredth of a second on the 2019 World Championships. During that very same span, China’s Xu Jiayu gained two world titles within the occasion plus two Olympic silver medals, and over the previous few years of that run, Hunter Armstrong joined Murphy because the second U.S. consultant within the occasion, profitable medals at three consecutive World Championships.

At this 12 months’s international meet in Singapore, none of these three have been within the 100 again closing. Neither American tried to qualify this 12 months whereas Xu ended up eleventh within the semifinals. But of their absence, the usual required to succeed in the rostrum was the quickest in historical past. Further, the meet indicated a collection of swimmers who’ve huge future potential within the 100 again, so this might be the deepest occasion in international swimming going ahead.

Pieter Coetze, a 21-year-old from South Africa, was the occasion’s winner in a time of 51.85, 5 hundredths forward of world-record holder and Olympic champion Thomas Ceccon. Coetze reached the rostrum in all three backstroke occasions in Singapore, making him the male breakout star of the meet alongside Tunisian distance swimmer Ahmed Jaouadi.

For a lot of this 12 months’s closing, Ceccon gave the impression to be a non-factor earlier than surging again into rivalry on the finish. While he’s a longtime star, he’s nonetheless solely 24 years previous and never going anyplace. His 2025 high time of 51.80, clocked main off the Italian males’s 400 medley relay, is the very best official mark of the 12 months. France’s Yohann Ndoye-Brouard is definitely two months older than Ceccon, however this 12 months marked his ascension from good to nice as he broke 52 to seize the ultimate spot on the rostrum. Three days later, he would earn a second bronze within the 200 again.

Coetze, Ceccon and Ndoye-Brouard completed with the medals, however they weren’t the one swimmers leaving Singapore arrange as future stars within the 100 again. It is only a matter of time earlier than Hubert Kos breaks by way of within the two-lap occasion. He is now the established king of the 200 again, crushing his greatest time to win gold for the third consecutive 12 months in Singapore, and he fell simply wanting a medal spot right here. Kos was the highest seed getting into the ultimate earlier than ending fourth in 52.20.

Miron Lifintsev — Photo Courtesy: Martin Csanadi/World Aquatics

Great Britain’s Oliver Morgan has crushed his greatest time every of the previous two years, and he swam sub-52.5 within the World Championships closing, as did Russian speedster Kliment Kolesnikov. Both swam even decrease 52s earlier within the 12 months. However, Kolesnikov is just not probably the most feared Russian swimmer on this occasion shifting ahead. That honor belongs to Miron Lifintsev, a 19-year-old who swept brief course world titles within the 50 and 100 again final December.

Lifintsev had a person efficiency to overlook in Singapore, ending seventh, however a day later, he led off the Neutral Athletes’ blended 400 medley relay in 51.78. Mixed relay leadoffs should not thought of official instances, but when acknowledged, the mark would have been the second-fastest in historical past, behind solely the 51.60 Ceccon posted three years in the past. That blast by Lifintsev helped the Neutral Athletes dominate the relay and end simply off the world file. Expect to see Lifintsev deliver that velocity to the person occasion in future years.

After this string of scorching performances this summer time, the 100 again can be a troublesome occasion to crack for anybody hoping to safe a medal at future worldwide competitions, together with the 2027 World Championships in Budapest and the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles. The Americans might be particularly bother in an occasion they’ve lengthy excelled in, though there may be nonetheless time for enchancment. Will Modglin had the highest U.S. time this 12 months along with his 52.54 on the World University Games, and Murphy and Armstrong may each be within the combine sooner or later.

Internationally, swimmers like Kos, Morgan, Russia’s Pavel Samusenko and Poland’s Ksawery Masiuk are lurking, and it’s attainable veterans like Xu and Greece’s Apostolos Christou have one other run in them. It took a sub-52 efficiency to get a medal in Singapore, and shifting ahead, count on to see 51-second swims left off the rostrum altogether due to the extraordinary backstroking velocity coming from all corners of the globe.