2025 LEN U23 European Championships
- Thursday, June 26 – Saturday, June 28
- X-bionic® sphere Pool, Šamorín, Slovakia
- LCM (50m)
- Start Times – Local: Prelims – 9:30 am / Finals – 6:00 pm
- Start Times – EST: Prelims – 3:30 am / Finals – 12:00 pm
- Meet Central
- Psych Sheets
- Live Results
- Livestream (Pay-To-Watch)
- Recaps:
Romanian Denis Popescu backed up his National Record performance from the prelims of the men’s 100 fly at the 2025 LEN U23 European Championships by resetting the mark in the final.
Popescu, who turns 22 next month, put up a time of 51.48 en route to winning gold on Thursday in Samorin, knocking one one-hundredth off the Romanian Record of 51.49 he established in the heats.
Popescu’s swim in the prelims erased the previous National Record of 52.30, set by David Popovici in 2023, and knocked nearly a full second off his previous personal best of 52.32 set at the 2024 European Championships
Relative to the prelims, Popescu was out much faster in tonight’s final, turning a quarter of a second under his record pace at the 50 in 23.75 before closing in 27.75.
Split Comparison
| David Popovici | Denis Popescu | Denis Popescu | Denis Popescu | |
| 2023 Romanian Championships | 2024 Euros | 2025 U23 Prelims | 2025 U23 Final | |
| 50m | 24.34 | 24.51 | 23.98 | 23.73 |
| 100m | 27.96 | 27.81 | 27.51 | 27.75 |
| Total Time | 52.30 | 52.32 | 51.49 | 51.48 |
Popescu’s opening 50 was only three-tenths shy of his lifetime best in the 50 fly, which stands as the Romanian Record of 23.43 and was set in the final of the 2024 Euros, where he finished 7th.
Popescu won gold on Thursday over reigning 100 fly world champion Diogo Ribeiro (51.73) and Croatian Vili Sivec (52.22).
Popescu represented Romania at the 2024 World Championships in Doha, though he didn’t race the 100 fly. He was 24th in the 200 back (2:02.05) and 25th in the 100 back (55.33), while he was the bronze medalist in the 100 back at the 2023 World University Games, clocking 54.21. He set his 100 back PB of 53.97 at the 2024 Romanian Championships.
Most recently, he represented Romania at the 2024 Short Course World Championships, placing 14th in the 100 back (50.61), 19th in the 50 back (23.44) and 32nd in the 100 fly (51.44).
Popescu is entered to swim the 50 back on Friday and the 50 fly on Saturday in Samorin.
