MULTI-NATIONS JUNIOR SWIMMING MEET (UKR)
- Saturday, April 17th – Sunday, April 18th
- Kiev (UKR)
- LCM (50m)
- Results
The Multi-Nations Junior Swimming Meet concluded over the weekend in Ukraine, with teen rising star David Popovici of Romania shining brightly.
First, for 16-year-old Popovici, the ace fired off a new lifetime best in the men’s 100m free, punching the clock in a time of 49.09. Opening in 23.99 and bringing it home in 25.10, Popovici cleared the former meet record en route to topping the podium.
Entering this meet, Popovici’s personal best in the 100m free rested at the 49.26 he registered in October last year in Bucharest.
For perspective, American Caeleb Dressel owns his nation’s age group record for 15-16 year-olds at 49.28, a mark he put up in 2013. With his swim here, then, Popovici is faster than the Olympic medalist and multi-world champion Dressel was at his age.
But Popovici also produced a lifetime best in the 200m free en route to victory. Touching in 1:48.62, the Romanian wrecking ball hacked nearly a full second off his previous career-quickest of 1:49.58, again a time he put up in Belgium just days earlier.
Splits for this longer distance included 53.04/55.58 to give Popovici a time that would rank him as the 3rd fastest American ever in the 15-16 age group.
Popovici concluded his meet with a speedy 22.75 50m free and 2:02.17 200m IM.
On his performances, Popovici told SwimSwam, “I just felt better in Ukraine, just like I usually feel during a meet. I’m now going for that 48.57 A-cut.”
He reminds me of Tarzan in that pose
Hope he’s taking English classes Bc he would be very fun to see attend US colleges in the future.
Whatever happened to Australian former world jnr champion Luke Percy?
I read somewhere it was illness or injury.
Jacob Whittle is the fastest 16 year old sprinter in the 100m freestyle with a 48.76
Chalmers was faster: 48.69
Edit: Wouldn’t be surprising to see Whittle go faster than that before he ages up.
No, Chalmers was 48.89 at 16 years old.
Check this: https://swimswam.com/16-year-old-jacob-whittle-cranks-out-48-76-100-meter-free-in-long-course/
Nah check this: https://swimswam.com/australias-kyle-chalmers-lowers-his-own-100m-freestyle-age-record-48-6/
When I first saw the title I thought is said “49.09 100 fly” and I nearly passed out!
Need to get my eyeglasses checked.
This makes me feel slow
respectable times….keep up the good work david.
I like how Dressel has a become a unit of measurement for speed.
It’s him and chalmers
Chalmers swam 48.69 at 16
I would love to be 90% of one Dressel. That would still be very fast.