Coetze went unbeaten at this meet in his particular person occasions, and set a staggering eight Commonwealth Games information. He swept the backstroke occasions, upgrading from a gold and two silvers in 2022, and added a pair of bronze medals on relays for South Africa.
He posted three of the quickest swims in historical past within the 100 again, together with the #2 (51.71) and #3 (51.77) performances of all time. That made him the primary man to achieve 5 sub-52 swims, another than Thomas Ceccon and Ryan Murphy.
Coetze is the clear alternative for this award as a result of there by no means actually felt as if there was any jeopardy that he wouldn’t be the clear alpha each time he entered the water. The winner of the backstroke titles didn’t look doubtful after his first heats swim within the 50 again, and he solely bought higher from there with two additional Games information of 24.29 and 24.18, and a dominant victory within the 200 again as he received by over two seconds in 1:54.22.
Four swims between 52.20 and 51.71 within the 100 again in simply over 24 hours to shut out the meet is phenomenal. He broke the Commonwealth Games file in that occasion by a surprising 1.41 seconds. Coetze seemed on a unique aircraft to everybody else in backstroke this week, and three particular person gold medals and eight Commonwealth Games information are numbers nobody else can contact.
Honorable Mentions:
Sam Short (Australia) – Sam Short was the one different man to match Coetze’s achievement of three particular person gold medals, sweeping the space free occasions, however didn’t fairly have the identical domination that the South African did. He received the 400 free by 4 seconds and the 800 free by practically seven, however was slower than he had been on the Australian Trials earlier this yr and set only one new Commonwealth Games file. Short did win a further gold within the 4×200 free relay, however his 1:46.08 leadoff was practically a second off his season better of 1:45.16. Three gold medals is tough to argue with, however we’ve got seen him be even higher earlier than than he was in Glasgow.
Lewis Clareburt (New Zealand) – Lewis Clareburt is a kind of swimmers who’s all the time close to the highest of his occasions, however with out the highlight of a few of these round him. He had a improbable Games, and appears to be getting higher and higher ever since his breakout bronze medal on the 2019 World Championships. Clareburt received two gold medals and one silver medal for New Zealand, setting a brand new lifetime greatest within the 200 IM and 200 fly, working down the sector but once more within the latter to defend his title. He was a whisker away from his Oceanian file within the 400 IM, pacing his race to perfection to beat the sector by a few seconds in 4:08.72. An look within the 200 free ultimate got here on the ultimate day as nicely, however that could be very a lot a quaternary occasion for Clareburt. He is more-do-it-all for New Zealand, and is now only one gold medal behind Valerie Young for probably the most profitable New Zealand athlete on the Games in that metric.
Sam Williamson (Australia) – Sam Williamson went two-from-two in his particular person occasions, and claimed a pair of relay gold medals as nicely. He backed up his performances at Australian Trials, confirmed that his world title from 2024 will probably not be a one-off, and comes away with a big improve from the one particular person silver and one particular person bronze he received 4 years in the past. With a powerful subject that includes Adam Ramsay-Peaty, Filip Nowacki, and Michael Houlie, Williamson appeared probably the most composed, most assured, and most assured swimmer amongst them. One of solely 4 swimmers to win no less than two gold medals right here, he deserves each ounce of reward.
Breakout Swimmer Of The Meet: Flynn Southam, Australia
Flynn Southam doesn’t fairly make the general swimmer shortlist, however his win right here is absolutely deserved. Not many individuals beat Kyle Chalmers head-to-head within the 100 free – that record stands at Caeleb Dressel, Duncan Scott, David Popovici, Pan Zhanle, and now Matt Richards and Southam – however he did so with the arrogance of a swimmer who knew what he was able to.
He had not fairly had the breakout some anticipated after ageing up, having been a prolific junior, however this yr noticed him absolutely realise his potential. A Commonwealth Games file of 47.09 within the 100 free, with two additional swims of 47.13 and 47.29, noticed him turn out to be the #11 performer in historical past, and his 46.55 anchor leg on the boys’s medley relay was the #11 efficiency ever.
Southam received silver within the 50 free as nicely in 21.44, eight tenths of a second quicker than his greatest earlier than this season. He received three gold medals on relays as nicely in Glasgow, and is now what we knew he might all the time be – one of many easiest on the earth at what he does.
Honorable Mentions:
Kai Taylor (Australia) – Yes, Taylor missed the 100 free ultimate at this meet. But within the 200 free ultimate, which he was in an out of doors lane for, he did precisely what you’re meant to do from an out of doors lane – completely ship it. He had by no means made a world ultimate earlier than the ultimate day of the Commonwealth Games. He has had robust relay performances on the 2023 and 2025 World Championships, however had a harmful behavior of including time in home finals and lacking particular person qualification. The years when he did qualify, he didn’t present up at his greatest, making this a really totally different meet for Taylor. He made a ultimate. He received a ultimate. He was the one swimmer in that ultimate to drop time, and he went out and raced. He ought to have the arrogance now to press on to the World Championships subsequent yr and LA the yr after.
Ben Armbruster (Australia) – Ben Armbruster made his first worldwide workforce on the 2024 World Championships, however had by no means made a world ultimate nor received a world medal earlier than the video games. He now has two of the previous and three of the latter. Having certified within the 50 fly and 100 fly, he dropped time to medal in each occasions whereas matching the Australian file within the 50, and swam on the prelims relay of the medley relay which received gold. He sliced 0.17 seconds off within the 50 fly to drop from 22.90 to 22.73 and tie for gold – a time that will be difficult for the ultimate at worlds to 1 that will be difficult for medals there. The 100 fly noticed a 0.33 second drop from 50.91 to 50.58, leaping him up into the highest 50 all-time. The 100 fly headlines could have been in regards to the battle between Matt Temple and Josh Liendo, however Armbruster was lower than two tenths of a second off the pair. Armbruster appears to have staked his declare over the second spot in males’s fly, which lately has been one thing of a revolving door for Australia.
Ruard van Renen (South Africa) – Van Renen swam on the World Short Course Championships in 2024 and on the World University Games final summer time, however this was his first massive worldwide meet for South Africa. He seemed improbable nearly each time he touched the water, slicing a piece off his 50 again PB to win bronze in 24.51, and doing the identical within the 100 again to win bronze once more in 53.31. He strikes into the African high 5 performers in each occasions now, and added a PB of 52.14 within the 100 fly and a 48.3 cut up on the boys’s 4×100 free relay. He comes away with 4 medals, two particular person and two on relays, and is firmly established in lengthy course after excelling within the NCAA during the last 4 years.
Junior Swimmer Of The Meet: Oliver Dawson, Canada
Dawson was the one junior male swimmer to win a medal at this yr’s Commonwealth Games, getting the higher of former world file holder Zac Stubblety-Cook within the battle for silver within the 200 breaststroke. He clocked a brand new lifetime greatest of two:08.39, which garnered him the ultimate lengthy course Canadian file he didn’t personal.
Dawson was simply 0.05 seconds away from Adam Ramsay-Peaty for bronze within the 100 breast as nicely, and tied for seventh within the 50 breast ultimate. After a powerful World Championships final summer time, Dawson appears to have established himself as somebody who swims his greatest on the massive meets.
Three finals, one medal, and a Canadian file make for a superb week’s work for Dawson. He has had a improbable season, and his performances in Glasgow have been the icing on the cake.
Honorable Mentions:
Gabriel Shepherd, England Shepherd has been successful at junior stage for Great Britain, successful 5 European Junior medals and two World Junior medals throughout the final two years, however added one other three right here on English relays. He was no passenger on these, splitting 47.73 within the ultimate of the boys’s 4×100 free relay for the fifth-fastest cut up within the subject, and main off the combined 4×100 free relay in 48.30 within the heats. He led off the boys’s 4×200 free relay in 1:46.67, simply off his lifetime greatest, and made the person 100 free ultimate the place he positioned Sixth in 48.52. He proved that his swims on the Aquatics GB Championships in April have been no fluke, and didn’t look fazed by the extent of competitors he discovered himself in. He appears like he shall be a improbable addition to the boys’s relays, and has the possibility to show that even additional on the European Championships in August.
Henry Allan (Australia) – Allan made three finals, inserting fifth within the 50 again, fifth within the 100 again, and – anticipate it – fifth within the 200 again. None have been fairly private greatest occasions, however he was simply 0.05 seconds away within the 200 again and 0.06 seconds off within the 100 again. He led off for the victorious males’s 4×100 medley relay on the ultimate day to win his first senior worldwide medal, and for a primary style of senior worldwide swimming this was a powerful meet for the teenager who’s now established as Australia’s go-to backstroker
Harry Milne (Wales) – Milne set a brand new better of 49.42 on the leadoff leg in prelims of the combined 4×100 free, and swam on the boys’s 4×200 free relay within the morning the following day. Both relays received bronze, making for a wildly profitable first senior worldwide meet for the Welsh 18-year-old. His greatest efficiency got here on one other relay. In Milne’s ultimate swim of the meet, within the males’s 4×100 medley relay ultimate, he clocked a monster 48.32 cut up. That was his quickest ever, over a second beneath his flat begin greatest and three tenths quicker than his earlier greatest cut up of 48.60.
Performances Of The Meet
Pieter Coetze, 100 again – Which one? All of them. Coetze bought quicker each time he swam, and in all three of his sub-52 swims he seemed a category aside from the sector. His 51.71 from the medley relay ultimate was spectacular, and in each that swim and his 51.77 from the person ultimate he genuinely seemed like he was going to the touch in 51-low. Scarily good swims from a scarily good swimmer
Sam Short, 400 free ultimate – Not fairly as quick as he was at Australian Trials, however Short was in a unique league from the ultimate happening round him. He led by two seconds at midway and, even with nobody to push him, swam his fourth-fastest time ever.
Flynn Southam, 100 free ultimate – A masterclass in self-confidence from Southam. He went in with the data that he might and will win this race, however he has usually performed second fiddle at greatest internationally lately, having by no means made a significant ultimate earlier than. A half-second margin of victory doesn’t present simply how a lot he dominated this race.
Cam McEvoy, 50 free ultimate – McEvoy was distinctive on this race, rising from the wash instantly half a physique size forward and pulling away with ease. Just the fourth-ever swim beneath 21 seconds, this was the mark of a swimmer in his prime.
Filip Nowacki, 200 breast ultimate – Like Southam, this was all in regards to the assuredness of the younger swimmer in one of many center lanes. Nowacki was by no means dropping this race and swam it precisely as he would have deliberate. Oliver Dawson was solely half a second again, however could nicely have been in a unique nation with how a lot that fazed the teenager from Jersey.
Races Of The Meet
Men’s 200 free ultimate – What’s to not love about exterior smoke? The deepest race of the meet, with the swimmers within the centre lanes match-racing one another whereas Kai Taylor scorched out to an early lead that he by no means relinquished
Men’s 100 breast ultimate – Michael Houlie out in 26.53, Adam Ramsay-Peaty taking on with 25 meters to go, and Sam Williamson and Filip Nowacki charging within the ultimate ten. Absolute cinema.
Men’s 4×100 Medley relay – South Africa’s front-loaded strategy made this wildly entertaining to observe.
Men’s 4×200 free relay – Who had England pushing Australia practically all the best way? James Guy and Kai Taylor threw down blistering splits, and Wales received a feel-good bronze.
Moments Of The Meet
Michael Houlie units the 50 breast African file within the 100 breast semi-finals – He’d gone out nearly as quick within the heats, however seeing him transfer into the highest ten in historical past and decrease Cameron van der Burgh’s African file whereas swimming a totally totally different occasion was one thing particular.
Duncan Scott anchors Scotland to bronze within the combined 4×100 medley – Duncan Scott. Glasgow. Relay. A medal from miles again. Cue the noise which, some say, might be heard within the unique host location of Victoria, Australia.
Archie Goodburn makes his first Commonwealth Games ultimate – Just over two years in the past, within the leadup to the Olympic Games, Goodburn obtained a name with some devastating information – a scan had come again exhibiting that he had oligodendrogliomas, a type of mind most cancers. He was the Scottish file holder within the 50 breast and had reasonable goals of constructing the Olympic workforce within the 100 breast with a PB of 1:00.20 from the yr earlier than, however now needed to cope with the fact that he could not see 40. So for him to nonetheless be competing at an elite stage two years later, making his first Commonwealth ultimate after inserting seventh within the 50 breast semi-finals, is nothing wanting extraordinary. Goodburn has campaigned for the Brain Cancer Justice Campaign since his prognosis, with fellow Commonwealth Games swimmer Greg Butler working a marathon in 2024 to assist increase funds for the Astro Brain Tumour Fund, one other charity which is devoted to serving to people battling mind most cancers. There could not have been a extra widespread finalist throughout the six days within the pool.
Breakout Nation: Uganda
Jersey could be the straightforward alternative right here with Filip Nowacki, however, as they’re typically a part of Great Britain, Uganda will get the vote as an alternative. Their highest earlier non-para end was twenty seventh, by Avice Meya within the girls’s 50 fly in 2018, however they got here away with two semi-finalists in Tendo Kaumi (50 free, eleventh) and Jesse Ssengonzi (100 fly, sixteenth). They positioned eleventh within the males’s 4×100 free relay however made the ultimate within the combined free relay, and Tendo Mukalazi (50 free, twenty third) can also be successful story.
Honorable Mentions
Namibia – Ronan Wantenaar has been a narrative of success for the World Aquatics Scholarship program, and made his first Commonwealth ultimate within the 50 breast. The males’s 4×100 medley relay rounded off with an look within the ultimate and a brand new nationwide file in addition. Oliver Durand appears like a key piece for them as nicely.
Cook Islands – A primary ever ultimate swim, with Jacob Story inserting eighth within the males’s 200 breast. The 18-year-old appears to be one for the long run, and there might be much more from him in 4 years’ time.
Fiji – A primary ever ultimate for Fiji due to Tolu Young’s Sixth-place end within the males’s 50 free, though they didn’t handle to interrupt the relay information that that they had the flexibility to. Reuben Taylor and Hansel McCaig seemed good in dash free with Samuel Yalimaiwai making the 50 breast semi-final with a 28.11, a nationwide file by practically half a second.