David Popovici, at 21 years old, is set to compete for the gold medal in the 200-meter freestyle event at the European Championships in Paris today at 19:36. His race will be broadcast live on TVR Sport and TVR 1.
Roxana Fleșeru is on-site in Paris, capturing every moment of the Romanian champion’s journey. At 18:25, Popovici arrived for a pre-final training session, warming up in lane 4, which he will use during the race. He shared some light-hearted moments with teammate Denis Popescu.
LIVE at 19:36 | David Popovici Unbeaten in 2023
The medal ceremony is scheduled for 20:06.
In an interview, Popovici explained, “The 200-meter freestyle requires a complete strategy. You need to analyze the races and tactics of your opponents to anticipate their moves. Each race can be disorienting, especially if an opponent starts too fast or slow, so understanding their competition is crucial.” This discipline is likened to a puzzle that elite swimmers solve through targeted training and deep knowledge of how their bodies perform.
Popovici has remained undefeated since 2023, following his triumph at the World Championships in Fukuoka. He aims to swim as fast as he can in Paris tonight.
His personal best of 1:42.97, achieved in 2022, ranks him among the top four times in the history of this event. He has also recorded times that place him in the top ten: 1:43.13 in 2025 at the European Championships in Belgrade, 1:43.21 in 2022 at the World Championships in Budapest, and 1:43.53 at the World Championships in Singapore.
Will he add another noteworthy time to his impressive history? The answer awaits at the end of four lengths of the pool in the Olympic Aquatic Center.
David Popovici’s Competitors in the Final
- Tomas Navikonis (Lithuania) – Lane 1, semifinal time 1:45.63
- Christian Giefing (Austria) – Lane 2, semifinal time 1:45.47
- James Guy (Great Britain) – Lane 3, semifinal time 1:45.14
- David Popovici (Romania) – Lane 4, semifinal time 1:44.56
- Lukas Martens (Germany) – Lane 5, semifinal time 1:44.79
- Carlos D’Ambrosio (Italy) – Lane 6, semifinal time 1:45.38
- Jack McMillan (Great Britain) – Lane 7, semifinal time 1:45.55
- Lucas Henveaux (Belgium) – Lane 8, semifinal time 1:45.72
With a chance to match Paul Biedermann’s European title record, Popovici could soon be just one title shy of another 200-meter legend, Pieter van den Hoogenband.
Swimmers with Multiple European Titles in 200m Freestyle
Pieter van den Hoogenband (Netherlands) – 4 titles (1999, 2002, 2004, 2006)
Paul Biedermann (Germany) – 3 titles (2008, 2010, 2012)
Peter Nocke (Germany) – 2 titles (1974, 1977), Michael Gross (Germany) – 2 titles (1983, 1985)
David Popovici (Romania) – 2 titles (2022, 2024)
Following his victory in the 100m freestyle earlier this week, in what was the fastest final in that event’s history, Popovici aims to become the first swimmer to win both the 100 and 200 meters at three consecutive European Championships.
