2022 FINA WORLD AQUATICS CHAMPIONSHIPS
- June 18-25, 2022 (pool swimming)
- Budapest, Hungary
- Duna Arena
- LCM (50-meter format)
- Full Aquatics Schedule
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Relive the men’s 100 freestyle and 200 freestyle wins by breakout star David Popovici at last month’s 2022 FINA World Championships in Budapest, Hungary.
Day 3
Men’s 200 Freestyle – Final
- David Popovici (ROU), 1:43.21 WJR
- Hwang Sunwoo (KOR), 1:44.47
- Tom Dean (GBR), 1:44.98
- Drew Kibler (USA), 1:45.01
- Felix Auboeck (AUT), 1:45.11
- Kieran Smith (USA), 1:45.16
- Lukas Märtens (GER), 1:45.73
- Elijah Winnington (AUS), 1:45.82
Popovici delivered an unbelievable performance to win gold in the men’s 200 freestyle, clocking another World Junior Record while becoming the youngest-ever swimmer under 1:44 in history. The 17-year-old Romanian phenom touched in a time of 1:43.21, smashing his WJR of 1:44.40 set during the semi-finals and launching into fourth on the all-time performers’ list while producing the second-fastest textile swim in history. The only textile swim quicker than Popovici’s performance is the 1:43.14 produced by Yannick Agnel at the 2012 Olympic Games. Popovici also put up the fifth-fastest swim ever. The highlight video of the race posted by FINA is condensed, so there’s also a full version of the 200 free final included above.
Day 5
Men’s 100 Freestyle – Final
- David Popovici (ROU), 47.58
- Maxime Grousset (FRA), 47.64
- Josh Liendo (CAN), 47.71
- Pan Zhanle (CHN), 47.79
- Brooks Curry (USA), 48.00
- Nandor Nemeth (HUN), 48.13
- Lewis Burras (GBR), 48.23
- Alessandro Miressi (ITA), 48.31
Although the final of the men’s 100 freestyle ended up being significantly slower than the semis, we still witnessed a great race that saw Popovici emerge victorious for his second title of the meet. He overcame the likes of Maxime Grousset and Josh Liendo to win gold in a time of 47.58, over four-tenths shy of his personal best of 47.13 from the semis.
“This is only the beginning, we’ve got a long, long way ahead of us,” Popovici said post-race, adding that he was prouder of his performance in the 200 free. Check out his swim from the semis of the 100 free below, where he set a new World Junior Record and became the ninth-fastest swimmer in history. Popovici was home in a sizzling 24.32.
