By GARY LEMKE in Birmingham
Pieter Coetze completed a full set of Commonwealth Games medals when he surged to bronze in the 200m backstroke, adding to his collection of 100m gold and 50m silver in Birmingham.
On a night when Lara van Niekerk won gold and Tatjana Schoenmaker took silver, and Coetze produced a blistering last 50m to snatch bronze in the 200m backstroke, there was disappointment for Chad Le Clos, who finished fourth in the 100m butterfly, chasing a record 19th Commonwealth Games record.
Currently Le Clos is tied on 18 medals as the most decorated Games athlete in history, but he was later pipped by Australian swimmer Emma McKeown who is now on 19, having helped Australia to mixed relay 4x100m gold in the last event of the evening. Le Clos had swum heroically in his butterfly leg and South Africa were in the medals right up until the last few strokes when Aimee Canny was just snared out of the medals at the wall.
Le Clos had narrowly missed gold in his signature 200m butterfly and here he was again on the wrong side of the tightest of margins as he strained for the wall in the 100m. At the wall, though, the SA superstar was still 0.21 seconds behind silver medallists James Guy and Matthew Temple, who dead-heated in 51.40sec.
One day, Le Clos will look back at the ones that got away, the agonising fourth places and SA’s failure to supply him with the ammo required to help carry them to relay medals over the years at the Games.
Yet, this is how brutal sport is at the highest level. It’s a game of split seconds here and split seconds there. But fourth is undoubtedly the most painful position in sport where only three medals are handed out.
Coetze, meanwhile, pulled a rabbit out of the hat in claiming 200m backstroke bronze. He turned with 50m to go in lane six in sixth position, but blitzed his way down the lane to come home in 29.00, which was 0.95 quicker than gold medallist Brodie Williams.
“I definitely left it a little late, although I’m happy to medal and deliver a PB,” said Coetze. “I came into the Games, which was my first big one after my Olympics debut last year, aiming to do my best and get close to my PBs. I’ve done that, so I am very chuffed and grateful for the medals.
“ I would have liked to go even faster but [coach] Rocco [Meiring] said that when you come to these big Games it’s not about times, it’s about winning medals and making the country proud … I hope I’ve done that.
“Being part of Team SA has been amazing, I’ve learned from them every day in training. Most of them have been here before on this stage. Paris 2024 is the main focus and everything else is a stepping stone. I’ll go back home and see what Rocco and I can do to bring back Olympic gold in 2024.”
At the age of 18, Coetze is still learning how to race. But here he won gold, silver and bronze. Once he gains more experience he’s going to be more than the equal of the best in the world. Paris 2024 could well be his crowning glory.
Photo: Anton Geyser