David Popovici Drops 100 Free Final, 100 Fly Event Due To Medical Issue

2025 ROMANIAN NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS

• Wednesday, April 9th – Sunday, April 13th
• Otopeni, Romania
• LCM (50m)
• Meet Central
• SwimSwam Preview
• Day 1 Recap/Day 2 Recap/Day 3 Recap
• Results
• Livestream

This post has been updated since its original publishing.

The penultimate day of racing at the 2025 Romanian National Championships brought a swift heats swim at the hands of David Popovici in the men’s 100m freestyle.

This morning the 20-year-old Olympic champion fired off a time of 47.30 to rank #2 in the world and land the top seed for this evening’s final.

However, when the finalists for the main event went to dive in this evening, Popovici’s lane was empty.

The former world record holder’s father told SwimSwam that Popovici withdrew due to an unspecific medical issue. Unfortunately for Popovici fans, this means he will also be absent from tomorrow’s highly anticipated 100m fly event.

Popovici later detailed on social media:

“Should have competed in the 100m freestyle final today, one of my favourites..however, unfortunately, the back pain did not allow me to go into the pool.

“It was a hard decision but necessary.

“Sometimes, the bravest thing you can do as an athlete is know when to say ‘stop’ to take of your body and your path long-term.”

Without Popovici in the 1free final, Patrick Dinu stepped up to grab the gold, producing a new lifetime best in the process.

19-year-old Dinu stopped the clock at 48.70 to overtake the 48.86 he put up to earn the second seed out of the heats.

Dinu, who competes for Princeton in the NCAA, opened in 23.31 and closed in 25.39 to log the sole sub-49-second time of the final. The next-closest swimmer was Alex Szilagyi who touched in 49.85.

Reigning European Junior Championships gold medalist Robert Badea was also in the water tonight, taking on his pet event of the men’s 400m IM.

17-year-old Badea impressed with a time of 4:17.50 to top the podium by over 10 seconds. His effort just missed sneaking under the World Aqautics ‘A’ standard of 4:17.48 needed for this summer’s World Championships.

In Vilnius last year, Badea topped the Euro Jrs podium with a lifetime best and Romanian national record of 4:14.37. Earlier here in Otopeni, he nabbed a new national record en route to winning the 200m IM – 1:59.95 – as the first-ever Romanian under the 2:00 barrier in the event.

A national record bit the dust tonight at the hands of Daria Silisteanu.

Just 16 years of age, Silisteanu punched a time of 28.46 to reap gold in the women’s 50m back.

Her result sliced .18 from her former national record of 28.46, a time she logged as a 14-year-old at the 2023 Eurpean Junior Championships.

Darius Coman already took down the Romanian national record in the 200m breast but he doubled up for gold in the 100m sprint this evening.

Coman turned in a time of 1:01.43 (28.87/32.56) to clear the field, although Daniel Nicusan was immediately behind in 1:01.61.

The former’s outing represents a big-time personal best, destroying the 1:02.92 produced in 2023. Nicusan’s time tonight was also a PB, dipping under his 1:01.98 from last year’s edition of this competition.

The pair continue to creep up on the longstanding national standard of 1:01.14 Dragos Agache put on the books in 2011.

Rebecca Diaconescu won the women’s 100m free in 55.97, with Irina Preda a hair behind in 56.04. Iona Stirbu rounded out the top 3 performers in 56.75.

Diaconescu touched in 55.15 at last year’s edition of this competition to check in with a new national record.