David Popovici managed to break the European record in the 100-meter freestyle event on Saturday night, at the European Under 23 Swimming Championships in Slovakia.
Furthermore, with this time of 46.71 seconds, he climbed to 2nd place in the all-time performance rankings of this event, just below the world record holder Pan Zhanle from China.
The U.S. press reacted after the Romanian champion broke the European record, and the Americans from Swimming World Magazine dubbed David Popovici "FLASH," alluding to the superhero known for his supersonic speed:
"FLASH! David Popovici breaks the European record in the 100 free with 46.71; the second fastest of all time. David Popovici broke the European record in the 100m freestyle with a time of 46.71, at the European U23 Swimming Championships in Samorin.
The Olympic bronze medalist achieved the second best time in history, surpassed only by the 46.40 WR of Pan Zhanle from Paris 2024," wrote Swimming World Magazine.
Similarly, SwimSwam, the most renowned swimming portal worldwide, also praised Popovici: "On the last night of the 2025 European U23 Championships, Romanian David Popovici achieved a stunning time of 46.71 to win the men's 100 freestyle event. This time not only set a new European record but is also the fastest in the world this year and the second fastest of all time."
Only Pan Zhanle has swum faster in the history of swimming at 100m freestyle. In 2024, at the Paris Olympic Games, the Chinese athlete defeated David Popovici and took the gold, finishing the race in 46.40 seconds.
D.A.