Coetze and Steenbergen Dominate Tashkent Stop
The second stop of the 2026 Swimming World Cup in Tashkent ended with South Africa's Pieter Coetze and the Netherlands' Marrit Steenbergen emerging as the top prize money earners. Coetze secured the men's stop win with an overall score of 58.7 points, edging out Egor Kornev's 57.4 points, and earned $22,000. He also broke the world record in the men's 50 backstroke. Steenbergen led the women's rankings with 58.5 points, ahead of China's Yu Yiting, who scored 57.3 points for second place.[S1]
Steenbergen's victory in Tashkent followed her win at the first stop, bringing her total earnings to $24,000. Belgium's Roos Vanotterdijk and China's Yu Yiting are tied for second in the women's overall standings with $18,000 each, having exchanged second and third place finishes across the two meets. On the men's side, Egor Kornev leads the overall totals with $42,000, $12,000 ahead of Coetze, who has earned $30,000 so far.[S1]
World Record Bonuses and Upcoming Opportunities
At the Tashkent stop, only the world record bonus was available, as was the case in Baku. Egor Kornev earned an additional $10,000 for breaking the men's 50 butterfly world record on the final night, his second consecutive world record bonus. Coetze also broke a world record, in the 50 backstroke, but the bonus structure meant that Kornev's achievement was the only one that added to his prize money at this stop. The next stop in Astana will introduce the Triple Crown and Crown Buster bonuses, which could significantly alter the earnings landscape.[S1]
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Athletes who take first place in the same event across all three legs of the tour qualify for a $10,000 Triple Crown bonus, and a further $15,000 is on offer should they also claim that event at the Short Course World Championships in Beijing. The Crown Buster bonus, brought back from last season, pays $2,500 to whoever stops a swimmer from completing a Triple Crown at the closing stop in Astana, Kazakhstan. Both bonuses become available for the first time this season at the third stop.[S1]
Steenbergen's European Record in 100 Freestyle
Marrit Steenbergen also made headlines by setting a European record in the 100 freestyle at the World Cup, as reported by Swimming World Magazine. This achievement adds to her dominant performance in Tashkent, where she secured the top women's ranking and continued her streak of stop victories. The record further solidifies her position as one of the standout swimmers of the 2026 World Cup series.[S2]
