David Popovici and Pan Zhanle will battle it out on the edge at the Swimming World Championships at the end of July to claim supremacy in the queen event of world swimming, the 100-meter freestyle.
Chinese swimmer Pan Zhanle holds the Olympic title and the world record in this event, which he set last year at the 2024 Olympics in Paris, with an astonishing 46.40.
Răzvan Florea, the first Romanian Olympic medalist swimmer in Athens in 2004, commented on the upcoming battle in the 100-meter freestyle between David Popovici and Zhanle Pan (both 20 years old) in just a few weeks.
Popovici recently achieved the second best all-time performance in the event at the Junior European Championships in Samorin, with a time of 46.71, also setting a European record.
"There are also some Americans who could play an important role, as well as an Australian, Chalmers; the competition is not just between Pan Zhanle and David Popovici. Indeed, the best times in history belong to these two. In Shanghai, it will be a completely different race, with strong contenders at the start. If everyone makes it to the final, as there is also a possibility of not making it to the final. Let's not forget that Pan Zhanle, at the Olympics, was 16th after the qualifiers. Things can happen, and then the strategy for the final changes completely if you don't have a Pan Zhanle or a Chalmers next to you," said Răzvan Florea, according to Antena Sport.
The man who won a splendid bronze in the 200-meter backstroke also discussed other swimmers who could pose challenges to David in this event: "There are also some Americans who could play an important role, as well as an Australian, Chalmers; the competition is not just between Pan Zhanle and David Popovici. Indeed, the best times in history belong to these two. In Shanghai, it will be a completely different race, with strong contenders at the start. If everyone makes it to the final, as there is also a possibility of not making it to the final. Let's not forget that Pan Zhanle, at the Olympics, was 16th after the qualifiers. Things can happen, and then the strategy for the final changes completely if you don't have a Pan Zhanle or a Chalmers next to you."
Popovici is a double world champion in the 100 and 200-meter freestyle, and also the Olympic champion in the 200 meters, last year in Paris. Over the past three years, David Popovici and Pan Zhanle have taken turns dominating the 100-meter freestyle event. Now both 20 years old, these two are ready to battle again for the records at the World Championships in Singapore.
D.A.