Pieter Coetze Sets Men’s 50m Backstroke World Record

South African swimmer Pieter Coetze set a men’s 50m backstroke short-course world record of 22.09 seconds at a World Aquatics World Cup meet in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, on 9 October 2026. The 22-year-old lowered the previous record of 22.11 seconds, set by Russia’s Kliment Kolesnikov in 2022, by 0.02 seconds. It was Coetze’s first career world record.

Record and race results

Coetze’s 22.09-second swim also improved on his South African and African record of 22.51 seconds, set six days earlier in Baku, Azerbaijan. Russia’s Egor Kornev finished second in 22.29 seconds, while Pavel Samusenko took third in 22.35 seconds. Coetze is a World and Commonwealth Games champion.

Short-course and long-course swimming

Short-course swimming takes place in a 25-metre pool, while long-course swimming takes place in a 50-metre pool. Pool length affects the number of turns in a race, and swimmers use a turn at each end of the pool. World records are maintained separately for short-course and long-course events. Kolesnikov’s previous 50m backstroke short-course record was 22.11 seconds; he also holds the long-course world record at 23.55 seconds.

Backstroke and Olympic programme

In backstroke, swimmers begin in the water and face the pool wall before the start. The 50m backstroke is a sprint event. It is scheduled to make its Olympic debut at the 2028 Los Angeles Games. Backstroke is also contested over 100m and 200m at the Olympic Games.

Important Facts for Exams

• Short-course swimming uses a 25-metre pool, while long-course swimming uses a 50-metre pool.
• Pieter Coetze set the men’s 50m backstroke short-course world record at 22.09 seconds on 9 October 2026.
• Kliment Kolesnikov set the previous short-course record of 22.11 seconds in 2022.
• The 50m backstroke is scheduled to debut at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games.

Coetze’s record was set at a World Aquatics World Cup meet in Tashkent. The short-course and long-course records are separate records.