Coetze breaks men's 50m backstroke short-course world record

South African swimmer Pieter Coetze shattered the men's 50m backstroke short-course world record on Friday, clocking 22.09 seconds at a World Aquatics World Cup event in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. The previous record of 22.11 was held by Russia's Kliment Kolesnikov, who achieved it in Kazan in 2022. Coetze, 22, set the record as a career first in the 100m backstroke, after nearly breaking the 100m world record at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow last July.

Coetze was in disbelief upon hearing his time, stating, "I didn't even click that it was a world record, and then, like, a second later, I was like… the world record was 22.1. So…not many words to describe that. It's crazy." Kolesnikov participated in the same race but finished sixth in 22.88, with Egor Kornev taking second place in 22.29 after a mis-timed finish. Coetze reflected on his record, acknowledging that the mindset remains the same at this level, as everyone is always close to the competition.

Both Kolesnikov and Kornev competed in the 100m freestyle final, with Kornev winning despite having a back injury. McEvoy, who also finished second in the 100m freestyle final, believes Egor Kornev will achieve something special within two months. The short-course world championships will take place in Beijing from December 1-6.