Overview
- Pieter Coetzé swam 22.09 seconds to set the men's short-course 50m backstroke world record at the World Aquatics World Cup in Tashkent on Oct. 9, beating the previous 22.11 mark held by Kliment Kolesnikov since 2022.
- The time improved Coetzé's own South African and African record after he lowered it to 22.51 at the World Cup stop in Baku the week before.
- Coetzé won the race against a high-quality field with Egor Kornev second in 22.29, Pavel Samusenko third in 22.35, and former record-holder Kliment Kolesnikov sixth in 22.88.
- One report said Coetzé received $10,000 for setting the world record in addition to his race prize money; that claim is reported by a single outlet and has limited sourcing.
- The record caps a rapid rise that includes a 2025 100m backstroke world title and multiple Commonwealth medals, and it positions Coetzé as a marked contender for the short-course worlds in Beijing and the 50m backstroke's Olympic debut at LA2028.