# Commonwealth Games: Team SA’s swimmers made an exellent start at the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games yesterday. World champion Pieter Coetzé dominated the men’s 50m backstroke in 24.29-seconds, smashing the Games Record twice across the heats and semi-finals. Compatriot Ruard van Renen won his semifinal race with a blistering personal best time of 24.56-seconds. He qualified for today’s final as the second-fastest swimmer overall. Jessica Thompson, Georgia Nel, Rebecca Meder, and Caitlin de Lange broke the African record in the women’s 4×100-metre freestyle relay with a time of three minutes 38.67-seconds to win bronze.
Commonwealth Games: Team SA’s swimmers shine with records