In a breathtaking race that kept fans on the edge of their seats, Popovici touched the wall first with an impressive time of 1:43.53, edging out American Luke Hobson by just 31 hundredths of a second. Japan’s Tatsuya Murasa claimed the bronze with a strong finish at 1:44.54.

What made this victory especially poignant was the timing — it occurred on Romania’s National Anthem Day, adding a powerful layer of national pride to an already sensational achievement. Popovici had been trailing Hobson by nearly a full second with only 50 meters left. Still, his relentless determination and explosive final stretch sealed the gold in a race that highlighted both his physical stamina and mental toughness.

Popovici dominated the earlier rounds as well, posting the fastest time in the heats (1:45.43) and semifinals (1:45.02), reaffirming his status as the top freestyle swimmer of his generation. This gold medal adds to his remarkable career achievements, which include the 100/200m freestyle double at the 2022 World Championships and his memorable Olympic gold at Paris 2024.

Despite facing mental challenges following the Olympics, Popovici’s ability to refocus and channel pressure into performance speaks volumes about his resilience and maturity as an athlete. His calm demeanour and tactical intelligence in the pool continue to impress coaches, peers, and swimming fans worldwide.

“This win means so much, especially today,” Popovici remarked after the race. “To represent Romania on a day so meaningful to our country and come through in such a race — it’s a dream come true. I’ve learned a lot about staying strong mentally, especially after Paris, and today showed that hard work pays off.”

For Romanian sports fans and the international swimming community alike, David Popovici’s triumph is a vivid reminder of his rising legacy. His brilliance in the pool shines not just in medals and records, but in his inspiring journey as a young athlete overcoming adversity and carrying the hopes of a nation with grace and fire.

Photo source: Raed Krishan

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The race was very tight, with three competitors arriving at 0,01 seconds, one from another.

The Chinese Pan Zhanle won with 46.40, Kyle Chalmers got silver with 47.48, and David Popovici came third with 47.49. The fourth competitor, N. Nemeth from Hungary, arrived a hundredth second after Popovici, with 47.50.

Pan Zhanle broke the world record for a 100-meter freestyle event.

David Popovici, 19, won two medals for Romania during the Paris 2024 Olympics, and Romania climbed in the medal ranking. These two are the only medals Romania has won during this edition, but more will definitely come.

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He said the competition was a valuable lesson for him, and the results came after a very chaotic year. Also, he stated he felt more vital than ever and promised to get exceptional results in the future.

David Popovici’s speech after the World Swimming Championships in Fukuoka

Thank you for your presence. First of all, I would like to thank the people who supported me, who supported me, who watched the World Championship. In even less good times, I have learned how important your support is because the good is generally celebrated at competitions.
It is the best opportunity for me now to convey to the youth and children who follow me that there is no magic, only training and constant effort to reach your goal. It’s completely normal, and humans do not always get it right. I really prefer to be a complete athlete who knows how to manage the ups and downs of the unpredictable career that sport brings, I’d rather be that than a robot who only knows how to win. I believe these experiences make me stronger.
It was the most intense in my life, from world registration to the baccalaureate to Fukuoka. It was a chaotic, bizarre year, but I succeeded. I think now is a very good opportunity for me to understand courage and commitment. It’s up to me how I react when I encounter obstacles in my path. That’s all I can control. It’s a process, and I’m here to learn.
As I see things now, I have two options. Number one: I let what happened demoralize me and hold me back. Or I let what happened to motivate me. I will choose the second option, of course. I love what I do; this is the sport, this is the real world, I can’t do it every time, sorry if you’re waiting for something else.
I want to end with a quote from Earl Nightingale: «Never give up on your dream just because it will take time to achieve it. Time passes anyway.»
I have something else to say. I leave this competition with something extraordinary, something I also felt when I finished the Olympic Games in Japan. I am highly motivated, I feelstronger than ever. I have to take a vacation now and care for my body and mind, but I can’t wait to return to training. I want to be the fastest swimmer in the world again, the best because I feel stronger than ever.

David Popovici’s exceptional speech after returning from Fukuoka, Japan

At only 18 and with a full career ahead, David Popovici is motivated and he’s learnt a valuable lesson in Fukuoka. We do believe he’s got the talent and time by his side and he could return more triumphant than before.

He’s still the world record holder in 100 m freestyle after all, right?

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Eight medals were won by Romanian competitors at the 2022 FINA world junior swimming championships, placing Romania in the fourth position overall after Poland, Hungary, and Japan.

Romania’s swimming sensation, David Popovici, won gold in the 200- and 100-meter freestyle events, the former of which he also set a new competition record.

In the men’s 4X100m freestyle relay, Romania was represented by David Popovici, Alexandru Constantinescu, Stefan Cozma, and Patrick Sebastian Dinu, who won the gold medal. During the relay, Popovici set a new competition record (47.07). Lithuania came in third, followed by France in second.

The silver medal was won by David Popovici, Patrick Sebastian Dinu, Bianca Costea, and Rebecca Aimee Diaconescu. On the final day of the competition, Bianca Costea took home the gold medal in the 50-meter freestyle.

Romania won four gold, two silver, and two bronze medals throughout the competition. The championships were held in Lima, the Peruvian capital. Almost 700 athletes competed from over 100 nations, but none from Russia or America.

Photo source: FRNPM

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Popovici, a 17-year-old trained by Adrian Radulescu, set a new competition record by finishing in 1:46.18 minutes. He also won a gold medal in the 4×100 m freestyle relay, making this his second gold in Lima.

After breaking records and winning many swimming competitions, David Popovici became a global phenomenon conquering the public at every sports appearance.

At the World Junior Swimming Championships thus far, David Popovici and his teammates have won two gold medals in the men’s 4×100 m free relay and the men’s 200 m freestyle, respectively. They also have one silver medal from the men’s 400 m freestyle competition (Vlad Stancu).

Photo source: David Popovici Facebook

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The Romanian men’s relay team, which included David Popovici, Alexandru Constantinescu, Stefan Cozma, and Patrick Sebastian Dinu, won the competition with a time of 3:18.84. Popovici also achieved a new competition best in the first exchange (100 m freestyle), finishing in 47.07.

The Romanian team experienced a magical first evening at Lima World Junior Swimming Championship. On the premises of the Videna Aquatic Center, the Romanian athletes managed to win a GOLD medal last night (the men’s 4×100 m freestyle relay – David Popovici, Alexandru Constantinescu, Stefan Cozma and Patrick Sebastian Dinu) and a SILVER medal (Vlad Stancu in the 400 m free).

Romanian Swimming Federation and Modern Pentathlon

Romania’s athlete, Vlad Stancu, also won the men’s 400 m freestyle silver medal.

According to Agerpres, women’s 100 m backstroke semifinalist Aissia Claudia Prisecaru and Rebecca Aimee Diaconescu, who placed fourth (1:02.59) and fifth (1:02.64), respectively, qualified for the finals.

Nine swimmers from Romania have qualified for the Lima Junior World Championships.

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David Popovici was withdrawn from the 400m freestyle final at the European Senior Swimming Championship in Rome by his coach Adrian Radulescu and the technical staff. The decision was made due to a busy schedule for the upcoming time, the final’s anticipated high level of consumption, and a desire to prepare as well as possible for participating in the World Junior Championship in Lima (Peru), a very demanding competition.

The objective was to check at a European Senior Championship in the 400m freestyle, an important event primarily for the preparation of the other two, which were really bright, but also came with fatigue. For us, the competition in Peru is equally important, where we want good results.

Adrian Radulescu

With a winning time of 3:47.99, David Popovici qualified for the 400m freestyle final after dominating the first heat of qualifying.

Previously, Popovici broke the world record in the 100 m Freestyle Men (46:86) and wins the European Gold Medal in 200 M Freestyle. David Popovici is one of the most admired sportsmen of the moment, becoming a global sensation in the swimming performance chapter. Many would have wanted to see him perform in the 400-meter final, still, the physical effort made after the previous competition speaks for itself.

Photo source: David Popovici

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David Popovici established a new world record at the European Swimming Championship in Rome (1:42.97). The Swiss Antonio Djakovic finished in second place (1:45.60), over two seconds behind the Romanian, and the Austrian Felix Auboeck (1:45.89) was on the third step of the podium.

Previously, Popovici broke the world record in the 100 m Freestyle Men (46:86). The event happened one day before, at the European Aquatics Championship 2022 in Rome.

Until now, David Popovici also has nine medals won at the junior EC in 2021 and 2022 (seven gold), a continental gold won in 2021 in the short course, and two world titles won this year Budapest (100m freestyle and 200m freestyle).

He will also perform in Rome in the 400 m freestyle on Wednesday, August 17.

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The new world record in 100 Freestyle Men is 46:86. This is what makes David Popovici the fastest swimmer on the planet. The 17-year-old sliced 0.05secs off the previous standard of 46.91 set by Cesar Cielo in the very same Foro Italico at the 2009 World Championships at the height of the suit era.

After winning the World Swimming Championships, David Popovici became the European champion at just 17 and the new world record holder in 100 m freestyle men.

This year, David Popovici performed exceptionally well in the World Championships in Budapest, where he won the gold medal in the 100 M Freestyle and the 200 M Freestyle. As he is still a junior, he also won the European U-23 Championships.

In the same event, Hungary’s Kristof Milak was second on Saturday, with Italy’s Alessandro Miressi third.

Popovici will also compete in Rome in the 200m freestyle, 400m freestyle and 4x100m freestyle relay.

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Apart from this medal, the other Romania swimmer, Robert Glinta, also wins two medals for Romania: silver at the 100 m backstrokes and bronze at the 50 m backstroke event.

In July, David Popovici, 16 at that time, won 3 gold medals at the European Junior Swimming Championships in Rome, Italy. Also, a silver one. He got gold at 50 m, 100 m, and 200 m free events.

Also, this year, David Popovici, still 16 at that time, managed to come in 4th at the 200 m event at the Tokyo Olympics. Even though he lost the silver medal by an inch or so, he still broke the junior’s world record for the event.

Now, the Romanian swimmer is 17, and the future looks very promising for his senior career.

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