SwimSwam Pulse is a recurring feature tracking and analyzing the results of our periodic A3 Performance Polls. You can cast your vote in our newest poll on the SwimSwam homepage, about halfway down the page on the right side.
Our most recent poll asked SwimSwam readers which matchup they’re looking forward to more in Singapore:
Question: Which freestyle showdown are you more excited for at Worlds?
RESULTS
- 100 free – Pan v. Popovici (+Chalmers) – 72.2%
- 200 free – Popovici v. Hobson – 27.8%
If anyone had any doubt, David Popovici reminded everyone that he’ll be a force to be reckoned with at the upcoming World Championships at last month’s LEN U23 European Championships.
Popovici kicked things off by putting up a time of 1:43.64 in the 200 free, overtaking the top spot in the world rankings from American Luke Hobson, and then, in the 100 free, Popovici fired off the second-fastest performance in history, clocking 46.71 to break his own European and Romanian Records.
Heading into the 2025 World Championships, Popovici has one main rival in each of his two primary events as he aims to reclaim the world titles he won in 2022.
In the 200 free, Popovici, the reigning Olympic gold medalist, will be going head-to-head with Hobson, the 2024 Olympic bronze medalist who joined the elite sub-1:44 club in the event at the U.S. National Championships in early June (1:43.73).
Despite the two of them being separated by less than a tenth this season, with no one else in the world within a half-second, it’s the showdown looming in the 100 free that has fans most excited.
In that event, Popovici will face off with reigning Olympic champion Pan Zhanle, who dominated everyone in the Paris final last summer, obliterating his own world record by four-tenths in a time of 46.40.
At the 2024 Worlds in February, Pan took hold of the world record for the first time in 46.80, taking down Popovici’s mark of 46.86 set in 2022.
Now having clocked 46.71 in 2025, Popovici, who was the bronze medalist in Paris behind Pan and Aussie Kyle Chalmers (47.48) in Paris in a time of 47.49, has a great chance to reclaim the world title.
In our latest poll, 72.2% of readers picked Popovici’s matchup with Pan (and Chalmers) in the 100 free as the one they’re looking forward to more than the 200 free with Hobson.
Pan and Popovici are the two fastest 100 freestylers ever, combining to own nine of the 12 fastest swims ever. It will truly be a historic battle with the two of them in their prime years.
As for Chalmers, his best time is 47.08, a mark he’s hit twice (and not since 2021), but despite the fact he’s never been under 47, he’s always been able to perform in major finals—in his last three Olympic and two LC World Championship finals, he’s finished no lower than 2nd in the 100 free (two gold, three sivler medals). Additionally, Chalmers has already been 47.27 this year, his fastest-ever in-season time.
Although the 200 free could be equally as exciting—or perhaps even more so, given how tactics could play a role and someone like Hwang Sunwoo could go ballistic on the first 100 and try and hang on—only 27.8% picked that race as the one they’re more excited for.
Either way, there’s no doubt these two races will be must-see in Singapore.
Below, vote in our new A3 Performance Poll, which asks: Will Leon follow up his Olympic performance by winning the same four events at Worlds?
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ABOUT A3 PERFORMANCE
The A3 Performance Poll is courtesy of A3 Performance, a SwimSwam partner.
Give me Jack Alexy for the dark horse sneaky gold. An AR would be nice to boot.
Not hating on Pan or Popovici… or Chalmers. Just want to see the big guy smash a final
So do I but it’s not gonna happen
This 100 free could be an all 46 podium assuming good living conditions and the pool being deeper and proper
What are Pan’s 2025 season best times?
47 something.
But it’s irrelevant. Pan never needed to swim 46 this year to qualify for Singapore.
I don’t know that it’s irrelevant. History has shown it is not always easy to duplicate an otherworldly WR performance. From when Popovici broke the WR in 2022, it took 3 years to improve his time. The progression was non linear. If Pan’s form is off here, Popovici could prevail.
Pan had multiple sub-47 times last season. He doesn’t need to beat his PB to win the event by a comfortable margin.
One of the reasons why I’m so interested in this final is to see how Pan backs up his WR. Was 46.4 the swim of a lifetime, or the new standard?
He swam the 46.4 in a pool everyone else thought was slow. In a fast pool he might not need to be completely on form to repeat 46.4
He’s only swam once and he was sick so i don’t think its a great indicator
I’m going to assume he has raced more but we don’t know about it. Magnusson in 2012 said his problem was he didn’t race from April to July. He wasn’t race fit.
Pan can not go against the PopMAN who will dominate this race in a new WR.