Athlete of the Week

Romanian swimmer David Popovici has been designated Athlete of the Week by Radio Romania International

Florin Orban, 04.06.2024, 13:45

Last week, the Spanish city of Barcelona hosted one of the most prestigious international swimming competitions entitled Mare Nostrum. Every year this event brings together the world’s best swimmers. With the upcoming Olympics in Paris, the Mare Nostrum contest was a major landmark in the training timetable of our swimmers. Among the athletes who compelled recognition in Barcelona was the Romanian swimmer David Popovici who won the freestyle races of 100 and 200 meters with an excellent timing for which Radio Romania International has designated him athlete of the week.

David’s first win in Barcelona was on Wednesday in the 200 meter freestyle race, which he ended in one minute, 44 seconds and 74 hundredths, a new record for the competition and Popovici’s personal record.

The Romanian ended the race one second ahead of runner up Sun-woo Hwang of South Korea, which is also the world champion of the race. A day later, Popovici won the 100 meter race in 48 seconds and 49 hundredths. Popovici again beat Sun-woo Hwang, but only by two hundredths this time.

David Popovici was born in Bucharest on September 15, 2004. He compelled recognition in the European championship for junior swimmers in Rome in 2021, when he won the 200, 100 and 50 meter races. In the last race he set a world record in junior competitions. He later beat the world records in the 100 and 200 freestyle races. He managed to qualify for the Tokyo Olympics where he came fourth in the 200 meter race missing the third place by two hundredths.

In the senior competitions he obtained his first major performance in November 2021, when in Kazan, Russia, he became European champion in the 200 meter freestyle race. In 2022, he compelled recognition at the World Championship in Budapest, winning the 100 and 200 meter races, which was also a premiere for the Romanian swimming.

Then at the European Championships in Rome he ended the 100 meter race in 46 seconds and 86 hundredths, a new world record. His performances in 2023 weren’t that good but his latest results in Barcelona prove that David Popovici remains Romania’s best bet at the Olympic swimming competitions in Paris.

(bill)