What Can We Expect From David Popovici at the European Championships?
The reigning world champion in the 100- and 200-meter freestyle, David Popovici will look to add more gold medals to his already impressive resume this summer. The 21-year-old from Romania has done it all over the past few years, but there is one thing he will look to regain: The world record in the 100 free. With the European Championships fast approaching, Popovici will have his sights set on defending his golds from 2024 and once again standing as the fastest man over 100 meters.
100 Freestyle
At the European Championships in 2022, Popovici set his first and only world record, swimming a time of 46.86. Up until 2025, he had struggled to regain that same 100 free consistency. At the 2024 Olympic Games, Pan Zhanle of China smashed Popovici’s record, producing a time of 46.40. Ever since, Popovici has been on the chase to retake this record. At last summer’s World Championships, Popovici clocked a time of 46.51, an effort that posed a threat to Pan’s record.
Going into the European Championships, Popovici is riding a wave of momentum. He had a strong performance in the 100 free at the Sette Colli Trophy in Rome, going 47.26 for first place. In that race, he took the first 50 out in 22.8, only three tenths off what he went in his 46.5. This split in-season suggests that come the European Championships, he should be able to be under the 22.49 split he mustered at Worlds. The easiest way for Popovici to reclaim the world record is to take the race out fast.
If Popovici goes close to his best time, the gold medal in the 100 freestyle is close to a guarantee. But a world record is what the two-time Olympian wants. Russia’s Egor Kornev should be his closest competitor. He went 46.96 earlier this year, but that time is something Popovici should comfortably top.
200 Freestyle
Like the 100 freestyle, Popovici will be the favorite in the 200 distance. He currently has a best time of 1:42.97 and has always been consistent in this race. He has been under the 1:44 mark five times since 2021, leaving him as the clear favorite at every international competition. At last year’s World Championships, Popovici took gold in a time of 1:43.53. At Sette Colli, Popovici recorded a 1:44.48, an impressive in-season marker.
Expectations to win gold in the 200 freestyle will be high for Popovici, but world-record expectations might be out of reach at this point. The current world record stands at 1:42.00, registered by Paul Biedermann in 2009, and is one of three individual super-suit world records that remain. Popovici’s best is still a second over this mark.
Popovici can be expected to take this race out faster than normal. Picking up gold is the easier challenge for Popovici. The bigger ask is pushing his best time closer to the world record of Biedermann. In order to do that, Popovici will likely have to take the race out in a 49-point split, something he has only done once before, and trust his back-end speed and endurance.
Popovici has had lofty expectations placed on him since 2021, when he emerged on the world scene with a 47.30 in the 100 freestyle. This meet will be no different to any other international meet over the past five years, but Popovici is now a pro at handling pressure. Based on his times from Sette Colli in June, this meet could be a big one for Popovici, one where the time drops are big and world records are possible.
