Human error costs Pieter Coetzé possible medal at world champs

Human error possibly denied Pieter Coetzé a medal at the world short-course championships in Melbourne, Australia on Friday, but he still broke one of the longer-standing African records in swimming. 

The men’s 50m backstroke final had to be re-swum after what organisers called a “technical error” after the buzzer sounded twice at the start, basically the fault of the starter. 

Coetzé, who also swam a 21.68 best in the 50m freestyle heats in the morning, was one of four swimmers who completed the race at full tilt, with the Pretoria pupil touching third in 22.65sec. The others in the outside lanes stopped swimming early. 

The results and times were nullified and the eight swimmers returned nearly an hour later to do it again. 

Second time around, however, Coetzé knocked himself out of contention with a slow start, although he fought hard and produced the second-fastest final lap. His 11.56sec on the back 25m was slower only than American veteran Ryan Murphy, the winner in 22.64 with splits of 11.12 and 11.52. 

Coetzé touched fifth in 22.84, one-hundredth of a second quicker than the mark set by Gerhard Zandberg in 2009.

“It’s just bad luck,” said Coetzé, who has another medal shot in the 200m backstroke on Sunday.

“It happens, I think. You just have to take it and move on.” 

Australian teenager Isaac Alan Cooper, the winner of the cancelled race, ended second in 22.73. 

“It’s definitely not the way you want to win,” said Murphy, also the 100m backstroke champion in Melbourne.

“Hats off to Isaac — he won the first one.”

Rebecca Meder broke her own African record in the 100m individual medley final, finishing in 58.46 which earned her sixth spot. 

“Under 58.5 is a massive, massive swim,” the endurance queen beamed afterwards.

“And to be sixth in the world is incredible. The speed work’s there. I never thought I’d be able to say that.”

Caitlin de Lange clocked 24.67 in the 50m freestyle heats and sped up to 24.53 in the semifinals, but not even the 24.33 African record she set on the opening leg of the women’s 4x50m freestyle relay on Thursday would have got her into Saturday’s final. 

Stephanie Houtman achieved a 16min 35.55sec PB in the women’s 1,500m freestyle.