Victorian swimming prodigy Zander Coates represents himself in court over cyclist collision charge after rejecting offer to settle

By PAUL SHAPIRO, SENIOR NEWS REPORTER, AUSTRALIA Published: 04:11, 12 August 2026 | Updated: 04:16, 12 August 2026 A Victorian swimming star has pleaded not guilty to a traffic charge after a cyclist was injured in a collision. Appearing in Melbourne Magistrates' Court on Tuesday, Zander Coates, who represented himself, denied failing to give way to a cyclist while driving on Clarendon Street, South Melbourne, on November 21 last year.  'I dispute that I failed to give way and I dispute the circumstances described by the prosecution,' Coates said.  Coates said he had not had an opportunity to speak with the police prosecutor prior to the hearing to see if the matter could be resolved. The prosecutor said the cyclist made a statement, Coates was interviewed, and the 'charge is satisfied' as he called for the matter to go straight to a contested hearing. The court heard that Coates had his own evidence, including photos presented at a previous hearing. The cyclist claimed that Coates collided with them after the star athlete allegedly failed to give way at a Clarendon Street intersection. The cyclist 'suffered injuries' and reported the incident to police for the 'purpose of a TAC claim', which 'initiated the police investigation'. High-performance swimmer Zander Coates fronted Melbourne Magistrates' Court on Tuesday where he denied failing to give way to a cyclist Police did not attend the scene on the day of the alleged incident, the court heard. The prosecution said that its case hinged on the rider's evidence and Coates's police interview. 'Mr Coates has some additional evidence [beyond] what's been alleged in the brief,' the prosecutor said. Coates told the court he didn't bring the evidence today because he gave it to a different prosecutor at the previous hearing, who had 'photographed and scanned it'. The matter was stood down so that Coates could discuss the case with the prosecution and disclose evidence contained on his laptop. The magistrate offered Coates a 'sentence indication' to settle the matter, but he declined. Coates recently competed at the Australian Swimming Trials as one of Victoria's most promising talents. Earlier this year, he represented the Horton Squad at the Dubai Open Swimming Championships, held at the world-class Hamdan Sports Complex. Coates wants to take his matter to a contested hearing The Horton Squad is billed as Swimming Victoria's 'newest high-performance pathway for athletes aged 19 and over'. According to a media release, the Dubai Open Swimming Championships featured over 1,300 swimmers from more than 30 nations, including Olympic and world-class athletes. A record-breaking junior prodigy, Coates now swims locally for Nunawading and also reached the Olympic trials ahead of the 2021 Tokyo Games. The matter was scheduled for a three-hour contested hearing on 23 November, where the injured cyclist will tell the court their version of events. Sorry we are not currently accepting comments on this article.