David Popovici Welcoming Rival Pan Zhanle, Chinese Team To Romania For Training Camp

The two greatest sprint freestylers of the current generation are coming together.

Olympic gold medalist David Popovici announced on Monday that he’s welcoming fellow Olympic gold medalist and marquee rival Pan Zhanle to his native Romania for a training camp, with other members of the Chinese national team also in attendance.

The collaboration is an intriguing one given that the two men stand above the rest when it comes to all-time performances in the 100 freestyle.

The duo own 10 of the 17 swims in history under 47 seconds, including seven of the eight fastest ever.

In 2022, Popovici broke the longstanding super-suited world record of 46.91 held by Cesar Cielo by throwing down a time of 46.86 at the European Championships.

Pan then took ownership of the world record in February 2024 at the World Championships in Doha, clocking 46.80, and then brought the mark down to a mind-boggling 46.40 at the 2024 Olympics in Paris.

Popovici was the quicker swimmer last year, producing the #2 (46.51), #3 (46.71) and #6 (46.84) performances in history, winning the world title in the process.

All-Time Performances, Men’s 100 Freestyle (LCM)

1. Pan Zhanle (CHN), 46.40 – 2024 Olympic Games
2. David Popovici (ROU), 46.51 – 2025 World Championships
3. David Popovici (ROU), 46.71 – 2025 European U23 Championships
4. Pan Zhanle (CHN), 46.80 – 2024 World Championships
5. Jack Alexy (USA), 46.81 – 2025 World Championships
6. David Popovici (ROU), 46.84 – 2025 World Championships
7. David Popovici (ROU), 46.86 – 2022 European Championships
8. David Popovici (ROU), 46.88 – 2024 European Championships
9. Cesar Cielo (BRA) / Jack Alexy (USA), 46.91 – 2009 World Championships / 2025 World Championships
10. –

While Popovici hit a bit of a dip in 2023 but has rebounded with a strong 2024 and an even better 2025, Pan hit peak form in 2024 but struggled to perform at his best last year.

He missed the final of the 100 free at the 2025 World Championships, clocking 47.81 in the semis to finish 10th overall. Pan also missed the semis of the 200 free (1:47.46) in 22nd, though he did post a 46.63 relay split and was 1:44.41 on China’s 4×200 free relay, showing signs of his 2024 form.

So far in 2026, Pan has shown decent form, clocking 47.91 in the 100 free at the Chinese Nationals earlier this month, while Popovici is riding a high coming off this weekend’s Sette Colli Trophy. He set a new Romanian Record in the 50 free (21.82), posted a world-leading time of 1:44.48 in the 200 free, and logged a time of 47.26 in the 100 free to rank #2 in the world.

The two will work together and learn from each other looking ahead to their championship meets later this year. Popovici will be targeting the European Championships in August, while Pan will be prepping for the Asian Games in September.