Article by Adrian Duţă – published on Saturday, June 28, 2025 22:25 / Updated on Saturday, June 28, 2025 22:48
Only Pan Zhanle swam faster at 100m free in the history of birth. In 2024, at the Paris Olympic Games, the Chinese defeated on David Popovici and took the gold, finishing the race in 46.40 seconds.
After the Olympic Champion, World Cup in Romania won gold and at 100m free at the European U23, the Americans at Swimming World Magazine named it “Flash” on David Popoviciallusion to the superhero recognized for the supersonic speed.
The Americans, impressed: “Flash! David Popovici breaks the European record to 100 free”
“Flash! David Popovici breaks the European record to 100 free with 46.71; the second fastest of all time. David Popovici broke his European record to 100 m free in 46.71, at the European U23 swim championships in Samorin.
The Bronze Olympic medal has obtained the second best time in history, only exceeded by the 46.40 WR by Pan Zhanle in Paris 2024 ”, wrote Swimming World Magazine.
“In the last evening of the European U23 championships of 2025, the Romanian David Popovici has achieved a lightning time of 46.71 to win the 100 free men's sample. This time not only set a new European record, but it is also the fastest in the world this year and the second fastest of all time,” wrote SWIM SWAM.
Top 5 The Figst Swimming to 100m Liber
- Pan Zhanle (China) – 46.40 (2024)
- David Popovici (Romania) – 46.71 (2025)*
- Cesar Cielo (Brazil) – 46.91 (2009)
- Alain Bernard (France) – 46.94 (2009)
- Caleb Dressel (USA) – 46.96 (2019)
David Popovici targets the world record
Time is a very good one, clearly, we are very happy. But what we realized immediately after, when they took a bit of blood for analysis, I looked at my coach on the split of the two 50s and I saw that I finally went on the second length below 24 seconds. That is, I am the first man who went under 23 on the first length and under 24 per second, which for us means more than the time of 46.71.
The records are made to be shot down. As I wanted when I was younger to beat the world record, I did it later, it's the same. The records are made to be shot down, sooner or later. When I beat the record, it had been 13-14 years since it had been established. He had been in 2009, I beat him in 2022, in 2024 he was beaten. This is beauty, nothing is permanent.
– David Popovici, Olympic, World and European Champion
