Youngest SA swimmer qualifies for Olympics A 16-year-old schoolboy from Pretoria has achieved something no junior swimmer has ever been able to do before – he qualified to compete as a senior swimmer in the 100m-backstroke at the Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan later this year. Source Wednesday, 21 April 2021, 13:54 Pieter Coetzé shows his joy after beating the A standard for Olympic qualification in the 100m- backstroke at the recent national championships in Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth). Photo: Anton Geyser Video NATIONAL NEWS & VIDEO - It is believed that taller people swim faster. In 2016, the average height of an Olympic men’s swimming finalist was 6’2” (188cm).