Hungarian swimmer Nandor Nemeth, who finished 4th in the 100-meter freestyle final, was edged out by David Popovici by just one hundredth of a second.
The 100-meter freestyle final was dramatic, with David Popovici being just one hundredth behind the second place, but also one hundredth ahead of the 4th place.
The unlucky one of the evening was Nandor Nemeth, who finished 4th, one hundredth behind David Popovici.
He couldn't hide his bitterness after this failure.
"I thought that the small details could make the difference, but luck was not on my side. I felt good in the pool, I didn't falter at the end. It will hurt for a while, but we'll get over it. I haven't had the easiest half-year, but I'm proud of myself, considering that I am the fourth fastest at the Olympic Games.
I didn't even bother with the Chinese, I kept my eyes on Popovici. But I'm not complaining, I had very good opponents and I proved that I am a force to be reckoned with," said Nandor Nemeth, quoted by Gsp.ro.
Our athlete finished in 3rd place, with a time of 47.49, after the Chinese Pan Zhanle (46.40) and the Australian Kyle Chalmers (47.48).
Pan Zhanle improved his world record.
It was a phenomenal race by Zhanle, while Popovici's performance remains remarkable, considering he didn't start well and turned seventh at the 50-meter mark.
Previously, David Popovici had won the gold medal in the 200-meter freestyle event at the 2024 Olympic Games.
In the past, David Popovici held the world record for the 100-meter freestyle.
He won the gold medal in the 100-meter freestyle at the 2022 World Championships and the 2022 and 2024 European Championships.
For David Popovici, the 100-meter freestyle event was his last at the 2024 Olympic Games.