The American press has produced an extensive piece discussing the evolution of the top favorites David Popovici and Pan Zhanle, ahead of this summer’s World Swimming Championships, where the two will compete in the flagship and favorite event, the 100-meter freestyle.
David Popovici has been closely followed by the media in the United States, already signaling to him that he will have a tough challenge if he wants to beat Zhanle, the Olympic champion of the event and the current world record holder.
Throughout 2024, Zhanle has not only once, but twice surpassed his own record, reaching an impressive milestone of 46.40 seconds.
"The time recorded by Phan Zhanle in Paris, where he shaved four tenths off his previous world record, is a stunning result, considering that he had only lowered it by just 11 hundredths in the last 15 years.
Kyle Chalmers and David Popovici are undeniable stars, while Gui Caribe and Egor Kornev are clearly on the rise. Jack Alexy, Josh Liendo, Jordan Crooks, Matt Richards, Nandor Nemeth, and Maxime Grousset are all veterans with the skills to claim medals. But any of them would need huge improvements to reach the new realm of speed that the young Chinese star has brought to the 100 freestyle," wrote the team at Swimming World Magazine.
Popovici holds the third fastest time of the year in the 100-meter freestyle, recently achieved at the National Championships in Otopeni, a 47.30 on April 12. Above him are only Guilherme Caribe (Brazil), with a 47.10 s (April 23, 2025, Rio de Janeiro), and Kyle Chalmers (Australia), with a 47.27 s (April 4, 2025, Bergen).
Popovici withdrew before the final of the 100 meters at the Nationals, due to back pain. The 20-year-old captured gold in the 200 and 50-meter freestyle events.
D.A.