30 July – Chris Smith was the sole South African in action during the evening session at the World Aquatics Championships in Singapore on Wednesday, having earned a place in his first-ever global long course final. In a nail-bitingly close 50m breaststroke showdown, where just 0.21 of a second separated the top six finishers, Smith didn't get the speediest of starts and was forced to chase from the outset. The 19-year-old ultimately touched the wall in sixth place, clocking a time of 26.75 seconds. That shaved a further two-hu... Read More

29 July 2025 – Pieter Coetzé powered his way to South Africa's first medal of the World Aquatics Championships in Singapore, claiming gold in the 100m backstroke on Tuesday. The 21-year-old was third fastest in the semifinals but outduelled Olympic champion Thomas Ceccon and France's Yohann Ndoye-Brouard in the second half of the final to reach the wall in a sensationally quick new African record time of 51.85 seconds, just .25 of a second off Ceccon's world record. The Italian was second in 51.90 seconds, with ... Read More

28 July 2025 – Pieter Coetzé booked a spot in the 100m backstroke final at the World Aquatics Championships in Singapore after powering to second place in his semifinal on Monday. The 21-year-old star had booked his place in the semifinals with a time of 52.80 seconds in his morning heat and then went quicker in the semis, touching in a time of 52.29. That saw him qualifying third fastest for the final behind Hungary's Hubert Kos (52.21) and Russian Kliment Kolesnikov (51.26). Coetzé heads into Tuesday night&#... Read More

The second morning session at the 2025 World Aquatics Championships in Singapore saw African swimmers deliver a mix of encouraging performances and valuable learning experiences. While no continental athletes advanced to semifinals today, South Africa’s Pieter Coetze stood out with a strong showing in the men’s 100m backstroke, positioning himself as a potential finalist. Meanwhile, emerging talents from smaller federations gained crucial experience on the global stage. Standout Performances Coetze Cont... Read More

Meder (10th), Gallagher (13th) and Sameh (14th) fall just short of finals but prove Africa's competitive edge at World Championships The 2025 World Aquatics Championships in Singapore saw Africa's top swimmers deliver competitive performances that underscored the continent's growing presence in elite swimming, though with the bittersweet taste of narrowly missing finals berths. Three African athletes reached semifinals across different events, each demonstrating flashes of brilliance while acknowledging room for improvement in ... Read More