Wesley Botton

By Wesley Botton

Chief sports journalist


LISTEN: Pieter Coetze, Erin Gallagher, Christian Sadie bag more medals for SA

It was another successful night in the pool for the South African swimmers.


Swimmers shone again on Monday night by bagging three more medals, with teenage sensation Pieter Coetze leading the charge for Team SA in the pool on day four of the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.

Coetze secured his second medal of the multi-sport showpiece with another superb effort against more experienced opposition.

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The 18-year-old rising star, who won gold in the 100m backstroke at the weekend. returned to the podium by snatching silver in the men’s 50m backstroke final in 24.77, just 0.12 off the pace of New Zealand’s Andrew Jeffcoat.

Coetze will turn out again in the men’s 200m backstroke event later in the week.

More medals

Erin Gallagher also earned silver in the women’s 50m butterfly final, touching the wall in 26.05 seconds, 0.15 behind Australia’s Emma McKeon.

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In the men’s 50m freestyle S7 final, Christian Sadie grabbed the bronze medal in 29.78 seconds. Matthew Levy of Australia won a hard-fought battle in 28.95, with Wei Soong Toh of Singapore snatching silver in 29.10.

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After qualifying second quickest for the 200m individual medley final, however, Rebecca Meder missed out on a medal.

Meder took fourth place in 2:12.01, touching the wall 1.33 seconds outside a place on the podium.

In the men’s 400m freestyle final, the SA quartet squad finished sixth in 7:13.76.

After four days of competition in Birmingham, the SA team were lying fifth in the overall standings with 12 medals (five gold, three silver and four bronze).

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Commonwealth Games swimming

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