Coetzé said he was hurting after finishing his semifinal in 1:56.05, a little slower than his 1:55.85 personal best.
“It was fun, I really enjoyed it. I definitely hurt a little bit, but very happy to be in the final. Some races are going to hurt more than others and I definitely felt a little bit tonight.
“But I think with the rest that I’ll get now before the final, the body will recover, and I’ll be ready tomorrow.”
Coetzé wasn’t prepared to guess the time he would need to make the podium.
“So far the unexpected has been happening and everyone’s always talking about times. But I can promise you, none of these swimmers care about their times,” said Coetzé, who broke his African record finishing fifth in the 100m backstroke final on Monday.
“Maybe in the back of their mind, they do, but they’d rather swim a slower time and win a medal than swim their [personal best] — speaking for myself, swim their PB and get fifth place.”