David Popovici (; born 15 September 2004) is a Romanian competitive swimmer who specializes in freestyle events and is the reigning Olympic champion in the 200-metre event, having won the gold medal at the 2024 Summer Olympics.Olympics (29 July 2024). "Men's 200m Freestyle - Finals results". Olympics. Retrieved 29 July 2024. He is the current holder of the European record and the junior world record, as well as the former holder of the world record in the long course 100-metre freestyle. He is also the holder of the current junior world record in the short course 100-metre freestyle event and in the long course 200-metre freestyle event.David Popovici. SwimSwam. Retrieved 5 October 2022.FINA (15 December 2022). "16th FINA World Swimming Championships (25m) Melbourne (AUS): Men's 100m Freestyle Final Results". Omega Timing. Retrieved 15 December 2022.
At the 2022 World Aquatics Championships, Popovici won gold medals in his two signature events (Men's 100-metre freestyle and Men's 200-metre freestyle), becoming the first swimmer to do so at the same edition of the World Championships, since Jim Montgomery in 1973.Fleșeru, Roxana (22 June 2022). "BREAKING NEWS DUBLĂ ISTORICĂ! Incredibilul David Popovici câștigă al doilea AUR mondial, după un finiș de senzație! Primul înotător campion la 100m și 200m după 49 de ani" (in Romanian). Gazeta Sporturilor. Retrieved 22 June 2022. Following his performances during the 2022 long course season, in which he won eleven gold medals and two silver medals, Popovici was voted Male Swimmer of the Year by both SwimSwam and Swimming World Magazine.Serowik, Lauren (1 December 2022). "Swimming World December 2022 – World Swimmers of the Year: David Popovici and Ariarne Titmus – Available Now!". Swimming World. Retrieved 18 December 2022.Li, Yanyan (31 December 2022). "2022 SWAMMY AWARDS: MALE SWIMMER OF THE YEAR, DAVID POPOVICI". SwimSwam. Retrieved 1 January 2023. He was also named the BTA Best Balkan Athlete of the Year of 2022. During that summer, he established an unprecedented level of dominance, especially in the long course 100-metre freestyle, recording 13 of the 19-fastest swims in the world in 2022, while also becoming only the third swimmer in history to set an under 1:43 time in the long course 200-metre freestyle.Sutherland, James (4 February 2023). "SWIMSWAM'S TOP 100 FOR 2023: MEN'S #10-1". SwimSwam. Retrieved 4 February 2023. At the 2024 Paris Olympics, he placed third in the 100-metre freestyle, earning the bronze medal, finishing just 0.01 seconds behind Australia's Kyle Chalmers.Olympics (31 July 2024). "Men's 100m Freestyle - Finals results". Olympics. Retrieved 1 August 2024.
Early life Popovici was born in Bucharest, Romania, and he started swimming at Lia Manoliu pool at the age of 4, at a doctor's recommendation to correct early stage scoliosis."David Popovici wants to be the world's best swimmer and has every chance". dor.ro. Retrieved 16 June 2022. At the age of 9 he began to train at Aqua Team Bucharest, under coach Adrian Rădulescu, a former swimmer with a PhD in athletic performance specialized in swimming. At the age of 10, Popovici broke his first junior national record, in 50 m backstroke – a 24-year-old record held by Dragoș Coman, a 2003 world bronze medalist. At 14 he became the fastest swimmer under 15 in the history of the European Youth Olympic Festival, swimming 100 meters in 49.82 seconds.David Popovici. Arena. Retrieved 1 September 2022.
Swimming career 2021: Olympic debut 2020 European Championships At the 2020 European Aquatics Championships in Budapest, which took place from 10 to 23 May 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Popovici managed to swim below the Olympic Qualifying Time in the Men's 100-metre freestyle event and by doing so, he qualified for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics,Digi Sport (19 May 2021). "FOTO.Pe creasta valului! Robert Glință a luat argint la Europene, David Popovici s-a calificat la JO de la Tokyo" (in Romanian). Digi Sport. Retrieved 19 May 2021. being the youngest member of the Romanian team.Cisale, Giusy (22 December 2020)."IL 16ENNE DAVID POPOVICI CONTINUA AD IMPRESSIONARE AL GYOR OPEN" (in Italian). SwimSwam. Retrieved 27 May 2021.Gazeta Sporturilor (19 May 2021). "Puștiul a făcut față în finală » David Popovici a ocupat locul 6 în proba de 100 m liber la CE de la Budapesta" (in Romanian). Gazeta Sporturilor. Retrieved 19 May 2021. He broke the Romanian national record three times during the event (in the heats, semifinal and final), finishing sixth place in the final.LEN (19 May 2021). "2020 LEN European Aquatics Championships Budapest (HUN): Results 100m Freestyle Men Final". Microplus Informatica. Retrieved 19 May 2021. Popovici also competed in the Men's 50-metre freestyle and the Men's 200-metre freestyle, meeting the Olympic Selection Time in both of the events.LEN (20 May 2021). "2020 LEN European Aquatics Championships Budapest (HUN): Results 200m Freestyle Men Heats". Microplus Informatica. Retrieved 20 May 2021.
2021 European Junior Championships
Popovici won a total of four medals, at the 2021 European Junior Swimming Championships in Rome, where he broke the 100-metre freestyle junior world record twice. In the 4x100-metre freestyle relay, he broke the junior world record for the first time, with a time of 47.56,LEN (6 July 2021). "2021 European Junior Swimming Championships Rome (ITA): Results 4x100m Freestyle Men Final". Microplus Informatica. Retrieved 6 July 2021.Byrnes, Liz (6 July 2021). "David Popovici Sets WJR 47.56 In 100 Free To Go Fourth In Rankings At European Juniors". Swimming World. Retrieved 6 July 2021. helping the relay win the silver medal. Two days later, he managed to break the same junior world record again, this time in the 100-metre freestyle event, to win the gold medal, with a time of 47.30.LEN (8 July 2021). "2021 European Junior Swimming Championships Rome (ITA): Results 100m Freestyle Men Final". Microplus Informatica. Retrieved 8 July 2021. This performance made Popovici the fastest man in the world at that time in 2021, surpassing Kliment Kolesnikov.Rieder, David (8 July 2021). "David Popovici Rockets to 47.30 100 Free, Breaks Own World Junior Record, Fastest Time in the World". Swimming World. Retrieved 8 July 2021.Ursescu, Marian (8 July 2021). "David Popovici a câștigat titlul european de juniori cu un nou record mondial! Are cel mai bun timp mondial al anului" (in Romanian). Gazeta Sporturilor. Retrieved 8 July 2021. His second gold medal of the European Junior Championships came in the 200-metre freestyle event, where he broke another junior world record in the semifinal, with a time of 1:45.26.LEN (9 July 2021). "2021 European Junior Swimming Championships Rome (ITA): Results 200m Freestyle Men Semifinal". Microplus Informatica. Retrieved 9 July 2021. He won his third gold medal in the 50-metre freestyle event, where he finished 0.61 seconds ahead of second-place finisher Nikita Chernousov.LEN (11 July 2021). "2021 European Junior Swimming Championships Rome (ITA): Results 50m Freestyle Men Final". Microplus Informatica. Retrieved 11 July 2021.
2020 Summer Olympics At the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, which were postponed to 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Popovici competed in the 50-metre, 100-metre, and 200-metre freestyle individual events, following his good performances at the European Championships. While he did not win a medal, he was only 0.02 seconds behind bronze medalist Fernando Scheffer, and ahead of Martin Malyutin (who won the gold medal at the European Championships), as he finished fourth in the Men's 200-metre freestyle, with a time of 1:44.68.Race, Retta (26 July 2021). "16-YR-OLD POPOVICI SCORCHES 1:44.68 200 FREE EUROPEAN JUNIOR RECORD". SwimSwam. Retrieved 26 July 2021"Le Britannique Tom Dean titré sur 200 mètres aux JO de Tokyo" (in French). L'Équipe. Retrieved 27 July 2021.Rieder, David (12 August 2021)."The Outstanding But Often Overlooked Men's Swims From the Tokyo Olympics". Swimming World. Retrieved 12 August 2021. In the Men's 100-metre freestyle, Popovici once again asserted himself as a medal contender, qualifying for the final (47.72) and ultimately placing seventh, with a time of 48.04.
2021 European Short Course Championships
To follow-up a pair of national records accomplished while racing at the FINA World Cup meet in Kazan, clocking respective performances of 46.77 in the 100-metre freestyle, and 1:43.58 in the 200-metre freestyle,Swimming World editorial staff (31 October 2021). "David Popovici, Romania's Rising Teenage Star, Sets Two National Records at World Cup". Swimming World. Retrieved 31 October 2021. Popovici entered to compete at the 2021 European Short Course Swimming Championships held at the Kazan Aquatics Palace in Russia. On 6 November, Popovici won the gold medal in the Men's 200-metre freestyle event, with a time of 1:42.12, breaking his own national record from the World Cup.LEN (6 November 2021). "2021 European Short Course Swimming Championships Kazan (RUS): Results 200m Freestyle Men Final". Microplus Informatica. Retrieved 6 November 2021. He failed to qualify for the finals in the Men's 100-metre freestyle, and Men's 400-metre freestyle individual events.LEN (6 November 2021). "2021 European Short Course Swimming Championships Kazan (RUS): Results 100m Freestyle Men Semifinal". Microplus Informatica. Retrieved 6 November 2021.LEN (2 November 2021). "2021 European Short Course Swimming Championships Kazan (RUS): Results 400m Freestyle Men Preliminary". Microplus Informatica. Retrieved 2 November 2021.
2021 World Short Course Championships In his first of two events at the 2021 World Short Course Championships, the 400-metre freestyle on 16 December, Popovici placed thirty-second with a time of 3:46.08 and did not qualify for the evening final.FINA (16 December 2021). "15th FINA World Swimming Championships (25m) Abu Dhabi (UAE): Men's 400m Freestyle Heats Results Summary". Omega Timing. Retrieved 24 October 2022. For his second event, the 200-metre freestyle the following day, he ranked fourteenth in the preliminary heats with a 1:43.62, not qualifying for the final of the event.FINA (17 December 2021). "15th FINA World Swimming Championships (25m) Abu Dhabi (UAE): Men's 200m Freestyle Heats Results Summary". Omega Timing. Retrieved 24 October 2022.
2022: Double world champion and world record holder at seventeen 2022 World Championships