The American press has analyzed the fabulous year achieved by David Popovici, who was crowned double world champion in Singapore, in the 100 and 200-meter freestyle events.
The Romanian champion already holds Olympic, European, and world titles, but next year he may attempt to reclaim the world record in the 100-meter freestyle, currently held by the Chinese swimmer Pan Zhanle.
Popovici has significantly improved his times in both the 200 and 100-meter freestyle events, and now the Americans believe that the Romanian has huge chances to break the record set by his Chinese rival.
"In 2025, David Popovici had an extraordinary year in the 100-meter freestyle event. He managed to swim under 47 seconds three times - a performance that very few athletes in the world have ever achieved. His best time was 46.51 seconds, a new European record and the second fastest time in history, just 0.11 seconds behind the world record held by the Chinese swimmer Pan Zhanle.
Despite being only 21 years old, Popovici is already one of the most consistent and spectacular swimmers in the world. In 2025, he achieved half of all sub-47-second results globally and had three of the four fastest times of the year.
Popovici is known for his elegant style and impressive speed in the final part of the race, being the only swimmer capable of finishing a 100-meter freestyle with a sub-24-second comeback.
For 2026, he will focus on the European Championships in Paris, and following this year's results, many believe he has real chances to break the world record in the 100-meter freestyle event," wrote the Americans at Swimming World Magazine.
Based on the results achieved this year, David Popovici ranks first on the list of the six swimmers who have consistently swum under 47 seconds.
Popovici swam under 47 seconds three times during the 2025 competitions, including the time at the World Championships when he clocked 46.51 seconds, the second in history, just 0.11 seconds behind Pan.
D.A.