By Madeline Folsom on SwimSwam
2026 Commonwealth Games
July 24 – 29, 2026 (pool swimming) Glasgow, Scotland Tollcross International Swimming Centre LCM (50m) Meet Central Preview IndexThe 2026 Commonwealth Games are just a few days away, and we are continuing to preview all the individual events at the meet.
The men’s backstroke events are some of the strongest events at the meet, and South Africa’s Pieter Coetze is looking to dominate his events as one of the top backstrokers in the world, and the only returning medalist from the 2022 Commonwealth Games.
Men’s 50 Backstroke: By the Numbers
World Record: 23.55 – Kliment Kolesnikov (RUS), 2023 Commonwealth Record: 24.04 – Liam Tancock (ENG), 2009 Commonwealth Games Record: 24.62 – Liam Tancock (ENG), 2010 2022 Commonwealth Champion: Andrew Jeffcoat (NZL) – 24.65 Returning Medalists: Silver – Pieter Coetze (RSA)The men’s 50 backstroke is one of the events that seems the most up-in-the-air in terms of event winner.
The only returning medalist is Coetze, who won the silver in 2022 with his swim of 24.77. He has already been faster this season, swimming 24.54 at the South African National Championships in April. At last summer’s World Championships, he won the silver medal with his personal best swim of 24.17, and he is the favorite to take the gold medal in Glasgow.
Behind Coetze are a number of swimmers who will be battling for the other podium finishes, including England’s Oliver Morgan, who is ranked 4th in the world this year with the 24.36 he swam at the GB Swimming Championships in April, which is also his lifetime best.
England also has another potential medalist in Jack Skerry, who is seeded with the 24.66 lifetime best, which he also swam at the GB Aquatics Championships. He is historically stronger in the 100 and 200 backstroke, but he could still challenge for a podium finish.
They will also be represented by Cameron Brooker, who swam a lifetime best 24.85 at the GB Swimming Championships .
Australia has a few athletes in the race as well with Isaac Cooper and Henry Allan both sitting under the 2022 winning time of 24.65.
Cooper swam 24.46 at the Australian Swimming Trials, adding eight hundredths from the 24.38 he set at the 2023 NSW State Open Championships. He currently sits 11th in the world this year, just two spots ahead of Henry Allan.
Allan’s 24.51 from the Australian Age Championships ranks 13th in the world this season and was a new lifetime best swim for him. He came into the year at 24.88 from April of 2025, and he will be making his senior international debut this week.
South Africa’s Ruard van Renen has also been under 25 seconds this season, sitting at 24.92, which he swam in April at the South African Nationals.
Scotland’s Scott Gibson’s lifetime best sits at 24.83 from the 2023 Scottish Open Championships, but he hasn’t been back under 25 seconds since that season, and he will be seeded at 25.16, which he swam in April at the GB Swimming Championships.
Place Swimmer Country Season Best Lifetime Best 1 Pieter Coetze South Africa 24.54 24.17 2 Oliver Morgan England 24.36 24.36 3 Isaac Cooper Australia 24.46 24.38 4 Henry Allan Australia 24.51 24.51 5 Jack Skerry England 24.66 24.66 6 Cameron Brooker England 24.85 24.85 7 Ruard van Renen South Africa 24.92 24.92 8 Scott Gibson Scotland 25.16 24.83Men’s 100 Backstroke: By the Numbers
World Record: 51.60 – Thomas Ceccon (ITA), 2022 Commonwealth Record: 51.85 – Pieter Coetze (RSA), 2025 Commonwealth Games Record: 53.12 – Chris Walker-Hebborn (ENG), 2014 2022 Commonwealth Champion: Pieter Coetze (RSA) – 53.78 Returning Medalists: Gold – Pieter Coetze (RSA)Coetze again is the top swimmer in the men’s 100 backstroke. He had a huge summer in the event last year, swimming 51.99 at the World University Games to drop seven tenths in a single meet. Just 10 days later, he swam 51.85 to win the gold medal at the 2025 World Championships, becoming the 3rd fastest swimmer in history in the event.
This season, he is ranked 2nd in the world coming into the meet with the 52.40 he swam at the South African Nationals in April.
He is the heavy favorite, but this season he only sits one-hundredth ahead of Morgan, who swam a 52.41 at the GB Swimming Championships, which was a three-tenths add from the 52.12 he swam at the 2025 Championships. He ended up finishing 5th in the event at Worlds.
This event is Australian teenager Allan’s best chance for a medal at these Games. He is coming in ranked 19th in the world this year, but 3rd among Commonwealth countries with the 53.45 lifetime best he swam at the Australian Age Championships in April.
He will have to contend with Scotland’s Matthew Ward, who has a season and lifetime best of 53.29, which he swam at the GB Swimming Championships in April. He came into the year at 53.52 from April of 2025.
England’s Skerry is also within a few tenths of the two with the 53.60 he swam at the same GB Championships. His lifetime best sits at 53.35, which he swam to win last summer’s U23 European Championships.
England’s Brooker (53.69) and South Africa’s Van Renen (53.61) are the only other swimmers on this list who have been under 54 seconds so far this season. Brooker’s lifetime best sits at 53.63 from the 2025 British Championships, and Van Renen’s swim was his lifetime best.
Place Swimmer Country Season Best Lifetime Best 1 Pieter Coetze South Africa 52.40 51.85 2 Oliver Morgan England 52.41 52.12 3 Matthew Ward Scotland 53.29 53.29 4 Henry Allan Australia 53.45 53.45 5 Jack Skerry England 53.60 53.35 6 Ruard van Renen South Africa 53.61 53.61 7 Cameron Brooker England 53.69 53.63 8 Isaac Cooper Australia 54.37 53.46Men’s 200 Backstroke: By the Numbers
World Record: 1:51.92 – Aaron Peirsol (USA), 2009 Commonwealth Record: 1:53.17 – Mitch Larkin (AUS), 2015 Commonwealth Games Record: 1:55.58 – James Goddard (ENG), 2010 2022 Commonwealth Champion: Brodie Williams (ENG) – 1:56.40 Returning Medalists: Bronze – Pieter Coetze (RSA)Just like the other two backstroke events, Coetze is the heavy favorite. He currently has the 3rd fastest time in the world this season at 1:55.26, which he swam in April at the South African Nationals.
His lifetime best is 1:53.36, which he swam at the World Championships in July. This makes him the 7th fastest performer in history in the event. He is the only one in the field who has been under 1:54 and will not have a lot of competition for the gold.
England’s Luke Greenbank is one of the only backstrokers in the field who swam at the 2022 Commonwealth Games, and he finished 5th in the event with his 1:56.98. He is very strong in the 200, and his lifetime best of 1:54.43 from 2021 is the 2nd fastest at the meet. His season best stands at 1:56.01 from the British Championships in April.
His English teammate Morgan comes in with a season-best 1:55.86 from the British Swimming Championships. His lifetime best is 1:55.55 from the 2025 British Championships. Morgan is stronger in the other distances, but he is still a strong medal contender in the 200.
After Morgan, there are a number of athletes who will challenge for finals positions, but they would need massive drops to end up on the podium. Skerry will likely be England’s 3rd choice in the event with the 1:57.60 lifetime best he swam at the British Championships.
Australia’s Se-Bom Lee has a very strong chance of making the final after he swam 1:56.75 at the Australian Trials. This was his lifetime best, but he has been 1:57-low a few times, and that will make him a near-lock for the final.
Allan comes in at 1:57.00 from the Australian Age Championships, and will also be a likely finalist with two swimmers under the 1:58 mark.
Place Swimmer Country Season Best Lifetime Best 1 Pieter Coetze South Africa 1:55.26 1:53.36 2 Luke Greenbank England 1:56.01 1:54.43 3 Oliver Morgan England 1:55.86 1:55.86 4 Se-Bom Lee Australia 1:56.75 1:56.75 5 Henry Allan Australia 1:57.00 1:57.00 6 Jack Skerry England 1:57.60 1:57.60 7 Matthew Ward Scotland 2:00.22 1:58.81 8 Dean Fearn Scotland 2:00.47 2:00.47
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