Coetzé outslugs Justus as sprinters clock Commonwealth Games qualifiers

Pieter Coetzé turned slugger as he downed veteran Calvyn Justus to win the 50m freestyle crown at the national championships in Gqeberha on Friday night.

The day saw six swimmers posting Commonwealth Games qualifying times, including Coetzé and Justus in the morning.

But they slowed in the evening as their showdown turned into a street fight for glory.

Justus, the 2016 national 100m freestyle champion, had been the top seed going into the final after clocking the fastest heat time in the morning, a 21.97 personal best that also beat the 22.05 qualifying mark for the Commonwealth Games.

Coetzé, who had already won the 50m and 100m backstroke and 100m freestyle earlier in the week, had posted 22.04 to get pushed into lane five, reserved for the second seed, for the first time at this gala.

“I must say, I almost walked to lane four when I walked out, but luckily I realised in time,” Coetzé said with a laugh.

The 30-year-old Justus, who competed at the 2016 Rio Olympics and 2018 Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast, had the edge going into the final stages, but Coetzé kept fighting to touch first in 22.29, with Justus and 17-year-old Armand Landman sharing second in 22.36.

“I couldn’t see anything — just some splashes to my left and to my right — I didn’t know where I was at all,” Coetzé admitted.

“And it’s a 50 free … you have to balance being relaxed and fast and strong at the same time, which is so difficult. You can’t force it too much, but I was very happy to get the win,” he added, saying he was relaxed when he posted his 22.02 personal best leading off a 4x50m relay last year.

“Same with the morning swim [on Friday], it’s like being more relaxed than you will be for the finals so it’s something I need to learn how to do and to balance, but I’m not a 50-free specialist so this is just for fun.”

This was the first time Coetzé had met Justus, who returned to competitive swimming less than a year ago in a bid to try get to the 2028 Olympics.

But when Coetzé was starting out in the sport he used to watch Justus’s vlogs on YouTube. “He has some great videos on their trips and the training trips and representing South Africa. So that’s the first thing I told him when I saw him yesterday.”

Caitlin de Lange, like the men, swam a women’s 50m freestyle qualifying time in the morning, a 24.77, but she went faster in the final, winning in 24.74.

“I wanted to go a little bit faster [than I did] because it’s an afternoon swim, but other than that, I’m happy,” said the Tuks swimmer who is looking to post another qualifying time in the 50m butterfly on Saturday.

Chris Smith avenged his 2025 defeat to Michael Houlie by winning their men’s 50m breaststroke tussle in 26.68, the fastest time in a South African pool. Houlie went 26.98, also under the qualifying mark.

“I knew I just needed a good dive and if I was in front of Michael, I knew I had the speed to just stay in front,” said Smith.

Lara van Niekerk, the double Commonwealth Games champion from Birmingham 2022 whose form dropped amid illnesses and injuries, won the women’s 50m breaststroke in 30.50, her second qualifying time of the day after going 30.52 in the heats.

“The goal was to qualify this morning so that I didn’t have that extra pressure on my mind [so] I could just come and enjoy it tonight.

“I mean I was dancing with Simone [Moll, a former training partner] before and was really having fun. This morning was a bit more stressful because I knew I had to get the time to be able to go to the Commonwealth Games,” said Van Niekerk, who missed the mark in the 100m breaststroke earlier in the gala.

“After the 100 I was a bit upset and didn’t really enjoy that one as much as I would have wanted to … but I spoke to my coach and he reminded me that the 50 has always been my thing.”

Of the six qualifying swims, Justus, De Lange, Smith, Houlie and Van Niekerk were first-timers.

In other action, Kris Mahilov and Leigh McMorran won the men’s and women’s 200m butterfly and Matthew Caldwell and Callan Lotter took the men’s and women’s 800m freestyle races.

The qualifiers for the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow from July 23 to August 2 so far are:

Men: Pieter Coetzé (100m backstroke, 50m backstroke, 100m freestyle, 50m freestyle); Ruard van Renen (100m backstroke, 50m backstroke); Calvyn Justus (50m freestyle); Michael Houlie (50m breaststroke); Chris Smith (50m breaststroke)

Women: Aimee Canny (200m freestyle, 100m breaststroke, 200m IM, 200m breaststroke); Rebecca Meder (200m IM); Jessica Thompson (50m backstroke); Erin Gallagher (100m butterfly); Kaylene Corbett (200m breaststroke); Caitlin de Lange (50m freestyle); Lara van Niekerk (50m breaststroke).

* Isaacson is at the Bombela Concession Company South African championships in Gqeberha at the invitation of Swimming South Africa