Data Deep Dive: Comparing Popovici’s 46.71 to Pan’s 46.40 100 Free World Record

Less than 24 hours ago, former 100 freestyle world record holder David Popovici took over the world lead with a sizzling 46.71. The time was faster than his previous world record, the fastest in the world this year, and now stands as the second-fastest performance in history behind Pan Zhanle‘s 46.40 from the Paris Olympic final.

These two look to be both the present and the long-term future of the event. Both are 20 years old and could remain key players in the sport for several more Olympic cycles. While there are other contenders in the event, we wanted to take a detailed look at how Pan and Popovici’s races compare, who was stronger in each phase of the race, and what Popovici could still improve, at least on paper, to make another push for the world record.

First, we’ll start with Pan’s world record from Paris and break down the numbers.

Race Summary

Race Details

Next, let’s dive into how Popovici’s race unfolded.

Race Summary

Race Details

Now, let’s take a closer look at how the two races stack up against each other.

Key Times

Cumulative Splits

25m Splits

50m Splits 

Turn Times (45m to 65m)

Stroke Counts

Measurement Averages

Velocity Graph

Stroke Rate Graph

Distance-Per-Stroke Graph

Popovici closed faster than Pan, splitting 23.98 on the second 50 compared to Pan’s 24.12. That made Popovici the first swimmer to ever to close a 100 free in under 24 seconds. Popovici also had a smaller drop-off from his first 50 to second 50, 1.25 seconds compared to Pan’s 1.84, showing better back-half control. His distance per stroke was slightly higher at 2.45 meters compared to Pan’s 2.44, and he was faster on both the third 25, 11.47 to 11.49, and the final 25, 12.51 to 12.63. Remarkably, both swimmers maintained their DPS throughout their entire races, a rare feat, even among elite-level sprinters.

Popovici’s pure speed has been trending upward throughout the year. He broke 22 seconds in the individual 50 free for the first time at the Romanian Nationals in April, posting a 21.83 for a new Romanian record, and followed that up with a 21.86 this week. That emphasis suggests he’s fully aware it’s an area that needs to improve.

Pan’s opening 50 was 22.28 compared to Popovici’s 22.73, and the biggest gap came on the second 25, where Popovici was 0.36 seconds slower, 12.63 to Pan’s 12.27. Within that, the final 5 meters of the first 25 was especially costly: Popovici split 2.97 to Pan’s 2.66, accounting for 31 of the 36 hundredths alone. That represents not just a change in swim speed, but also the time it took to plant the legs onto the wall for the turn. The difference in their second 25 times alone was greater than the overall margin between their final times (0.31 seconds), while the difference over the final 5 meters and into the turn matched it exactly.

Pan’s reaction time was slightly better at 0.62 to 0.63, and he had the quicker final 5 meters at 2.38 compared to Popovici’s 2.53. He also covered more distance underwater at 10.45 meters versus the Romanian’s 10.30.

Pan held a higher average stroke rate at 52.52 compared to Popovici’s 51.08, and maintained a slightly better average velocity of 2.16 meters per second to Popovici’s 2.14. Interestingly, they both took 30 strokes over the first 50 meters, with Popovici taking one more on the way back: 35 to Pan’s 34.

In terms of race structure, Pan swam 48.02% of his time on the front half and 51.98% on the back. Popovici was slightly more back-loaded at 48.66% out and 51.34% back.

Watch both swims here:

Pan’s 46.40 world record, available via the official Olympics YouTube channel:

Popovici’s 46.71, available via SwimSphereTV on YouTube:

Special thanks to Dušan Danilović of the Slovenian Swimming Federation for his significant contributions to this article.