2024 ROMANIAN NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS
- Wednesday, April 5th – Sunday, April 9th
- Otopeni, Romania
- LCM (50m)
- Meet Site
- Start List
- Day 1 Recap | Day 2 Recap | Day 3 Recap | Day 4 Recap
- Day 1 Results (PDF)
- Day 2 Prelims Results (PDF) | Day 2 Finals Results (PDF)
- Day 3 Prelims Results (PDF) | Day 3 Finals Results (PDF)
- Day 4 Prelims Results (PDF) | Day 4 Prelims Results (PDF)
- Final Results (PDF)
David Popovici picked off another Romanian Record this week to conclude his competition at the Romanian National Championships. He swam and won the 100 fly on Sunday in 52.30 (Splits: 24.34/27.96).
That shaved .05 seconds off Daniel Martin‘s 2019 record of 52.35 in the event. Martin, who swam that time at just 18, but hasn’t been under 52.98 since that record-setting swim. Now 21, he posted a 53.19 for 2nd place on Sunday.
“Whoever says he is not tired on the last day is lying!” Popovici said after the 100 fly. “Thanks to the audience for coming. I know I have a lot of friends, loved ones, and family in the stands and they are at the core of my inspiration.
“I competed in backstroke and butterfly to see what I was up to. I want to be a complete swimmer. I have to continue to prove that I am capable.”
Popovici’s previous personal best in the 100 fly was just 58.18, done in 2019 – this is not a race that he has swum much in his career. But this week has been all about swimming secondary events for Popovici.
Though he swam a 47.61 Olympic qualifying time on Saturday in his best event, the 100 free, where he’s the World Record holder, he didn’t swim his second-best event, the 200 free, where he’s also the defending World Champion.
Instead, he swam the:
- 100 fly (52.30 – Naitonal Record)
- 50 fly (23.74 – National Record)
- 50 free (22.62)
- 100 back (54.74)
- 400 free (3:51.18)
- and the aforementioned 100 free (47.61)
Popovici finished his meet with a 55.86 leadoff leg on the 400 medley relay, where Bucuresti finished 2nd.
Other Notable Day 5 Results:
- Aissia Claudia Prisecariu swam 2:12.47 in the 200 back, which breaks the Romanian U15 Record. Last year, she set the country’s U14 Record in 2:14.64, and she’s now chasing the overall National Record of 2:08.16 done by Diana Mocanu. Mocanu, one of the country’s greatest-ever swimmers, did that time in 2000 when she was only 16.
- Denisa Bacalu swam 1:01.85 in the 100 fly prelims to qualify first for finals and break the country’s U14 Record. She added time in finals to finish 3rd behind Alexandra Bogdaneci’s 1:01.01. Bacalu is likewise chasing Diana Mocanu – she holds the rest of the country’s records, including a 1:00.02 U15 mark and a 59.12 U16/senior National Record.
- Vlad Stancu, the 2022 World Juniors bronze medalist in the 1500, won that race on Sunday in 15:22.45. That is well shy of his National Record of 15:05, but does put him under the “B” standard for this summer’s World Championships.
- Prisecariu split 1:02.79 on the backstroke leg and combined with Alecsia Maria Tenciu, Simona Maria Predescu, and Daria Mariuca Silisteanu for a 4:16.50 in the women’s 400 medley relay. That whacks almost two seconds off the Romanian Record for clubs in that event, which was set in 1996 – 27 years ago. All four members of that team were born in 2008 or 2009. They represent Clubul Sportiv Dinamo Bucuresti, the same club as Popovici.
I can’t wait for Popovici to work on his breastroke and get into IM events, with his very strong backend speed on the last 50 he could put on quite the show against swimmers like MA or Marchand
I think that it’s useless comparing this Popovici 100 fly time with those (swum) by swimmers (Heilman, Milak, Minakov, Liendo and so on) who had the 100 fly as a primary event. Popovici swam 58.94 and 58.18 in the 100 fly in early months of 2019 and then nothing, even in the training meets. So, It’s clear that he never trained this distance before this season and, like in the 100 back, using his words, he competed at these Champs just to see where he was. Considering Olympics and Worlds schedule of races, 100 fly (with 50 free) is the best choice for Popovici’s third event, if he’ll become competitive with the best 100 flier. A lot of work to… Read more »
As he gets older and toys with this event a bit more, I could see him getting under 50. 52.3 is pretty good for an 18-year-old, at an easy meet
Definitely not under 50, maybe under 51.
The Skinny Legend is highly capable.
He could surprise us… but 52 at 18 is not that fast. Heilman was 51 at 15. Minakov and Milak were 50 at 17.
And Dressel was 52.9 at 18 and still only 52.2 at 19.
I’m doubling down
This kid is mind blowing and nobody is close to him. Once he gets bored, he’s going to expand and given the decent time in an event he never swims, there’s a lot of potential for rapid drops
I am well aware that progress is different for everyone. Dressel is a terrible example though: his main advantages – great starts, turns, underwaters and explosiveness – all come with the body strengthening with age. He is naturally a late bloomer. The three I mentioned are/were wunderkinds like Popovici.
Do what if Popovici gets better at starts, turns, and underwaters?
The trade-off that comes with age might not work in his favour. We will have to see.
Other international news: Psych Sheets from South African Trials are up.
http://swimsa.org/disciplines/swimming/events-1/2023/sa-national-aquatic-championships-newton-park-swimming-pool-gqeberha-12-16-april-2023/entries-by-name
42 year old Roland Schoeman is entered in 50/100 free and 50 fly.
Last December he replied to a comment on his IG, stating that he wants to go to the Paris OGs.
The man, despite the positive test, is still popping 19.2s which are definitely getting close to sub 22 lc and popping a 20.47 50 fly. The guy has a shot. I I’m guessing he still has SA sporting citizenship. I think he got an American citizenship.
Considering he is only 18, he may have some future in the swimming!
Bold take!
Given how much better his 100s are, I thought he would be 51 based on that 23 in the 50. Might just be fatigue, or simply figuring the race out. Either way he definitely has potential in this.
Lots of potential! I think most of us agree David isn’t tapered. Someone, who sounds like an “insider”, says he has a big exam next month. High school graduation has to take up a lot of his time right now. But then for the next year until Paris he can essentially be a Professional in every sense of the word. He is testing the water ;-). He is only 18 and has plenty of time to sort things out.
It depends on what’s his goal in the 100fly: to win it he should be 50 low but more likely 49, neither of which is very likely. To medal, he would have to beat the likes of Casas, Liendo or Milak, potentially Dressel; the first two have been 50 low already, the second two are the fastest two ever in the event. Not to mention there are plenty of guys swimming 50 highs.
Kharun is a lot faster than him at this point, I’d bet on kharun getting a world medal way before him
Yeah I didn’t even mention Kharun or Heilman here. The future is theirs. Also, it’s not like Liendo is that old either.
Liendo gonna close the gap on him in the 100 free at the olympics, hoogenband Thorpe all over again
Would love to see it, if only to shut down all the annoying hype. But I don’t really see it, just like I don’t see Liendo catching Milak. He is the best all around sprinter right now though, no question.
Why exactly 15 months is more than enough time, liendo is on the threshold hold another full ncaa season will get it done
Milak and popovic are not locks liendo will prove it this summer he swam great times untapered at nationals.
I am a Milak fan so I am biased lol. I think he is the best butterflier in history so far, and he still has much to improve in the 100 (and he’s already been 49.6). I don’t think he is a lock, Casas or Liendo could both catch him, but he is the guy to beat right now. Popovici on the other hand is still quite ahead of Liendo in the 100free, and I think it’s reasonable to assume he hasn’t peaked yet so Liendo beating Popovici is not something I really see happening, even if I would like to.
Just checked the times in Budapest in the 100 fly milak won in 50.14 , liendo already beat his best times untapered at nationals milak will need a sub 49 to beat liendo this year
True, although Liendo wasn’t untapered at Canadian nats this year, as he attended that meet right after NCAA’s. Neither was he untapered at last years nationals, where he PB-ed with a 50.88, a time he did not improve fully tapered at worlds, where he swam a 50.9. Liendo could very well go 49 this year, which of course doesn’t mean Milak would need to go sub 49 to win; he would just need a faster 49.
I see Chlorine Daddy with a 46.5 in Paris. A huge gap to close if you ask me.
I wanna see where liendo is a year from now before making predictions especially if he can break dresser’s times at the ncaa next year.
The big exam is presumably the baccalaureate (national high school graduation exam). No need to be an insider to know about it. It’s actually a series of oral and written exams, June 12-29. DP said in an interview that he’s splitting his time evenly between training and studying for “The Bac.” Not sure what he plans to do about college, where entrance exams take place mid-July and will probably overlap with the Worlds.
He’ll need to take the exam in the special session between 11-29th of may. So in a month
A 17 day exam?
47.61 100 free, 52.30 100 fly. He can do 51.50 at the top
I think if he put a bit more focus on it he could *maybe* dip under 51, would never medal in it at a Worlds or Olympics tho imo especially with the likes of Liendo getting faster and faster.
Maybe he explores trying the 100 fly or 100 back as his 3rd event at a worlds instead of a 50 free? 52.3 at least has some potential!
I think his 50 free honestly has more. He is first and foremost a freestyler, and the 100 fly field is pretty deep internationally.
I would bet on 400fr for his 3rd event.
I doubt he wants to do 2 x 400 before his main events while the 1fly comes at the end.
Not gonna happen.
Even Thorpe was spent after he swam 400 free and 4×100 free that he lost 200 free to PVDH in Sydney.
Hey, quick question: what happened in Athens? Or Fukuoka? Or Barcelona?
Maybe PVDH was just faster on the day.