Congratulations to Duné Coetzee, the Tokyo Olympian who left the GC Jolliffe pool in Pietermaritzburg with four gold medals, a silver and a confirmed place at the World Short Course Championships in Beijing.
Duné Coetzee swam five events at the SA Short Course Championships from 24 to 27 September 2026, in the 25m pool that is now her training base. All four golds came in freestyle, and the time that sent her to Beijing was set on the first morning of the meet.
FIVE EVENTS, FOUR GOLDS, ONE SILVER
Her five swims in Pietermaritzburg:
• 400m freestyle — gold, 4:06.29 (4:05.54 in the heat, A cut)
• 800m freestyle — gold, 8:29.71 (B qualifying time)
• 200m freestyle — gold, 1:56.78 (B qualifying time)
• 100m freestyle — gold, 54.83 (B qualifying time)
• 1500m freestyle — silver, 16:32.87 (B qualifying time)
The 400 and the 800 came first, and she has since said those were the two races that carried the nerves.
HOW DUNÉ COETZEE BOOKED BEIJING IN THE 400M FREESTYLE
The SA Short Course Championships doubled as South Africa’s qualifying gala for Beijing, and her qualifying time came in the Thursday morning heat rather than the final. Duné Coetzee swam 4:05.54 in the heat, then won the final that night in 4:06.29.
That 4:05.54 is an A qualifying time, which means automatic selection. The four B times behind it do not carry the same weight, because a B qualifying time makes a swimmer eligible for selection without guaranteeing a place. Whether the 800, 200, 100 and 1500 appear on her Beijing programme is a decision for the selectors. The World Short Course Championships run from 1 to 6 December 2026.
Saturday’s 200m freestyle was the race she had put a number on beforehand, and she had told coach Wayne Riddin exactly what it was.
“I really just wanted to go for it and give my everything. I told Wayne this morning that I want to go 1:56, and he said: ‘Go 1:57, and if you go 1:56, that’s a bonus.’ So, wow. I’m so, so happy.” – Duné Coetzee
She swam 1:56.78. The bonus, not the target.
Sunday’s 100m freestyle brought the fourth gold in 54.83. Winning the 100 and medalling in the 1500 at the same meet covers a 1400-metre spread, a range very few swimmers race in one week. The whole Sunday finals session was hand-timed after a fault on the touchpads.
“I’m stoked. It was so fun, and I felt the best that I’ve felt in years of racing.” – Duné Coetzee
The 1500m freestyle was the only race she did not win. Stephanie Houtman took the title in 16:13.28 with Coetzee second, and both were inside the B qualifying time.
Short course and long course are scored as separate disciplines. A 25m pool means twice as many turns over the same distance, so turns and underwater speed count for far more, which is why short course times are ranked on their own and never set against 50m results. Beijing is a separate world championship to the long course world titles, with its own qualifying standards.
ONE MONTH UNDER A NEW COACH
Duné Coetzee joined Seals Swimming Club in Pietermaritzburg about a month before these SA Short Course Championships to train under Riddin. SwimSA called Jolliffe her new home water. That Thursday 400m freestyle heat was her first tapered race on the new programme, which made it the first real test of the move.
“It was a lot of nerves the first two days for the 400 and the 800, but after that, the job was done in the morning of the 400, so I just enjoyed the rest of it and the last two days have been the most fun I’ve had in a very long time.” – Duné Coetzee
The same championships opened with Tatjana Smith’s 50m breaststroke gold. Smith led the 200m breaststroke heats in 2:23.27 on the Saturday and then withdrew from the evening final.
Beijing is next, and Duné Coetzee arrives there with one event already secure and four more waiting on a selection call.
Follow Just Plain Sport for every South African swim out of Beijing in December.
