Coetze Signs Off Baku With African Record Gold

World Aquatics Swimming World Cup 2026 – Stop 1 | Baku, Azerbaijan | Day 3 – Friday, 3 October 2026 (25m pool)

BAKU, Azerbaijan – Pieter Coetze saved his best for last. On the final night of the opening World Cup stop, the South African came from behind to win the men's 100m backstroke in a new African short-course record of 49.11. It was his second gold and fourth medal of a remarkable three days in the Azerbaijani capital.

His swim gave South Africa six medals from the meet: two gold, two silver and two bronze. Day 3 also brought fourth-place finishes for Aimee Canny and Rebecca Meder, two South Africans in the men's 200m freestyle final, and another round of racing for Algeria, Botswana and Namibia's travelling swimmers.

Coetze's finishing kick

Coetze was the fastest qualifier in the 100m backstroke heats (50.36), just ahead of Canada's Blake Tierney (50.45). The final was a tight, tactical race. Pavel Samusenko, who had shared the 50m silver with Coetze the night before, led at the final turn by a single hundredth (36.43 to 36.44).

Coetze then produced the strongest closing length in the field, coming home in 12.67 against Samusenko's 12.81 to touch in 49.11 for gold. Samusenko took silver (49.24) and the USA's Shaine Casas bronze (49.89).

The time is a new African short-course record. It removes 0.24 seconds from Coetze's previous mark of 49.35, set on 20 October 2024, and puts him 0.95 outside Hubert Kós's world record of 48.16. It was Coetze's second African record of the meet, after his 22.51 in the 50m backstroke on Day 2.

Coetze leaves Baku with gold in the 200m and 100m backstroke, a tied silver in the 50m backstroke and bronze in the 100m IM. That makes him one of the standout performers of the opening stop and a serious contender for the overall series standings.

Two South Africans in the 200m freestyle final

Guy Brooks and Matthew Caldwell both reached the men's 200m freestyle final. Brooks was joint-fourth fastest in the heats (1:44.60) and Caldwell ninth (1:44.78). In a fast final won by Casas in 1:41.50, Brooks finished fifth in 1:43.76 and Caldwell eighth in 1:44.90. For Caldwell, it capped a meet with fourth places in the 400m and 1500m freestyle.

The heats featured a broad African field. Botswana's Rayhan Khonat placed 14th (1:47.79), South Africa's Reuban Haylock 20th (1:51.23), Algeria's 16-year-old Salaheddine Torki 21st (1:52.01) and Namibia's Corne le Roux 24th (1:55.71).

Canny and Meder in the hunt

Canny came within touching distance of a second medal in the women's 50m breaststroke. Fourth in the heats (30.06), she clocked 29.94 in the final to finish fourth, just 0.11 behind bronze medallist Mona McSharry (29.83). Florine Gaspard won in 29.75, and only 0.19 seconds covered the top four.

Meder, competing under the Club Swimmers banner, was ninth in the final (30.66). Daena Robinson placed 12th in the heats (31.34), and Algeria's 16-year-olds Rahma Benmahammed (16th, 35.77) and Kamelia Amalie Mezzaour (17th, 35.83) completed their breaststroke programme.

Meder was again fourth in the women's 200m IM, a straight final, clocking 2:06.74 behind China's Yiting Yu (2:02.80). It was her second fourth place of the meet. Canny finished sixth (2:08.88) and Robinson eighth (2:22.82).

Lambert and the distance women

Seventeen-year-old Bailey Lambert continued an encouraging meet with a fifth place in the women's 200m backstroke (2:14.43), a race won by Anna Peplowski in 2:02.34. Lambert also contested the women's 100m freestyle heats, placing 21st (56.53).

In the women's 800m freestyle, Dune Coetzee finished sixth in 8:28.70, behind Singapore's Ching Hwee Gan (8:15.73). Sixteen-year-old Shannon Hugo placed eighth in 9:11.95 to complete her first World Cup programme.

The backstroke and butterfly heats

The men's 100m backstroke heats produced a close contest among Africa's younger swimmers. Algeria's Moncef Benbara was 22nd (56.10), South Africa's 17-year-old Nicholas Trower 23rd (56.24) and Algeria's 16-year-old Houd Abed 25th (57.53). Abed raced all three backstroke distances across the three days.

Riley Hemphill, 17, completed the full breaststroke programme for South Africa by placing 17th in the men's 200m breaststroke (2:18.45).

In the men's 50m butterfly, Algeria's Mehdi Benfekih (20th, 23.98) narrowly edged South Africa's Michael Houlie (21st, 24.03). Brooks was 25th (24.43) and le Roux 34th (25.20).

Baku in Review

Africa leaves Baku with six medals, all South African, and two African records, both from Coetze. Houlie and Canny also reached the podium, while Brooks, Caldwell, Meder, Lambert and Dune Coetzee made repeated finals.

Algeria's Benfekih reached a sprint final, and Botswana's Khonat and Namibia's le Roux each completed full programmes against world-class fields. Eight of Africa's 21 swimmers in Baku were aged 17 or younger. Africa's swimmers now turn their attention to the next stop of the 2026 World Cup circuit.

African Medal Table – Final (Cumulative, Individual Events)

No relay events were contested at this stop.

African Medallists – Baku Stop 1

African Short-Course Records Set in Baku

Photo Credit: World Aquatics