By James Sutherland on SwimSwam
2024 PARIS SUMMER OLYMPIC GAMES
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Pieter Coetze finally grabbed hold of the African Record in the men’s 200 backstroke during the Olympic final on Thursday night in Paris, producing a time of 1:55.60.
Coetze’s swim knocked off the 15-year-old Continental and South African National Record of 1:55.75 set by fellow George du Rand during the height of the super-suits at the 2009 World Championships in Rome.
Coetze, who turned 20 in May, took down his previous best time of 1:55.85 which he set at the South African Championships in April. He first dipped under the 1:56 barrier at the 2024 World Championships where he was the bronze medalist.
Split Comparison
| du Rand, 2009 | Coetze, April 2024 | Coetze, August 2024 |
| 27.05 | 26.85 | 26.83 |
| 55.95 (28.90) | 56.59 (29.64) | 56.53 (29.70) |
| 1:25.42 (29.47) | 1:26.30 (29.71) | 1:25.73 (29.20) |
| 1:55.75 (30.33) | 1:55.85 (29.55) | 1:55.60 (29.87) |
Coetze’s swim ended up earning him 7th place in the Olympic final, with all eight swimmers going under 1:56 and the three medalists in the 1:54s, led by Hungarian Hubert Kos (1:54.26).
The record swim from Coetze comes after he broke his own African and South African Record twice in the 100 back earlier in Paris. He went 52.63 in the semis to lower his previous mark of 52.78, and then got down to 52.58 in the final to finish 5th.
Read the full story on SwimSwam: Pieter Coetze Breaks Super-Suited African Record With 1:55.60 200 Back