David Popovici Tries to Fill Fan Sorrows With Double Gold Shortly After Announcing to Skip Doha Worlds

Treading in the footsteps of swimming GOAT Michael Phelps, David Popovici made heads turn when he broke the 100m and 200m World records as a 17-year-old. The Romanian swimmer then became the first male swimmer to win golds in 100-m and 200-m freestyle events in the same edition at the 2022 World Aquatics Championships. As he steered from one feat to another, a wave of disappointment gripped the swimming community when he announced he was skipping the 2024 World Championships.

However, the 19-year-old has again brought the adrenaline levels to a high with glorious victories at Euros. While his presence will be missed in Doha, David has made sure to make up for it at the recently concluded Championship.

David Popovici secures double gold at Euro Meet

Continuing his dominance in the swimming arenas, David Popovici once again laced himself with gold medals at the 24th Edition of Euro Meet Luxemburg. The competition took place from 26 to 28 January, and David set new records as well. With a time of 1:46:19 in the 200m freestyle, he raced to the top of the podium to claim the gold. Serbian swimmer Velimir Stjepanovic followed 2nd at 1:47:84 while French Hadrien Salvan finished third at 1:48:82.

In the 100m freestyle, David posted the competition’s fastest time at 48.01 to win his second gold of the meet. The silver medal was clinched by Portugal’s Diogo Matos Ribeiro who timed 48.67 and Serbia’s Andrej Barna took home bronze with a 48.70. Although David announced earlier that he won’t take part in the 2024 World Championships scheduled this February in Doha to focus on the short course championship, the double Euro gold will keep his fans satiated until he is back in action.

David stamps authority at the 2023 European Short Course Championship

To focus on the European Short Course Championships, David Popovici decided to skip the World Championship in Doha, in an attempt to manage his workload. The short course championship took place in December, and David went on to win the bronze medal in the 100m freestyle. The gold was taken home by Frenchman Maxime Groussei while Italian swimmer Alessandro Miressi clinched the silver medal.

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While David has tasted success everywhere, an Olympic medal is still missing in his career. The 19-year-old participated in the Tokyo Olympics in 50m, 100m, and 200m but only registered a 4th-placed best finish. He will be itching to stamp his Olympic authority in Paris and is expected to emerge with multiple medals from the grand stage.

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