High-flying teenager Pieter Coetzee returned to earth on Tuesday night in the men's 100m backstroke final at the World Aquatics Championships in Doha.
One of South Africa's most promising pool players, Coetzee has risen rapidly through the ranks in recent years, winning five medals at the 2022 World Junior Championships and three medals at the last Commonwealth Games. Obtained.
He qualified the fastest from the first round in the capital of Qatar, and in the semi-finals he qualified with the second fastest time, making him one of the favorites to win, but he is hoping to win his first medal at the World Senior Championship. It fell short of the target.
The 19-year-old backstroke specialist touched the wall in the 100m final in 53.51 seconds, leaving him 0.15 seconds off the podium.
American swimmer Hunter Armstrong won the gold medal in a fiercely contested race in 52.68 seconds.
However, Coetzee's campaign is not over yet and he was expected to challenge for a medal again later this week. She was scheduled to line up for the 200m heat tomorrow and the 50m heat on Saturday.
Seitz hunting
Meanwhile, another rising South African star kept his medal hopes alive last night as 20-year-old Matthew Seitz qualified for the 200m butterfly final.
Seitz clocked a time of 1:55.88 in the semifinals, placing seventh overall and advancing to medal contention Wednesday night.
Earlier in the morning session, Seitz had finished sixth overall in the first round heat with a time of 1:56.40.
His more experienced compatriot, former world champion Chad Le Clos, was also on the entry list, but did not line up at the start.
Le Clos, who lost in the 50m butterfly semi-finals over the weekend, had announced his intention to focus on the 100m butterfly and 100m freestyle this week.
Dune Coetzee, the only South African competing on the third day of pool competition, finished 28th in the women's 200m freestyle heats with a time of 2:01.02.
