Article by Roxana Fleșeru – Published Monday, November 17, 2025 9:19 p.m. / Updated Monday, November 17, 2025 9:41 p.m.
Darius Popescu (18 years old) and Denis Popescu (22 years old) were two of the best swimmers inthe National Short Course Championships from Otopeni, winning multiple national titles, setting new domestic records and setting the bar for the European competition in Lublin, which will take place between 2nd and 7th December.
Darius Coman won four races at the National Short Course Championships in Otopeni. He topped the 200m and 400m individual medley and the 100m and 200m breaststroke, also setting new senior national records. At the end of the four days of competition, he was tired but happy.
“There were some special races, some special experiences. I hope it was the same for the spectators who came, we thank them very much for being in the stands and for caring about sports too!”, said the young swimmer registered at Corona Brașov.
He celebrated each victory by hitting the water hard and raising waves around him. With the times achieved in the pool in Otopeni, he also made the scale for the European Championships in Lublin. “I'm very happy that I achieved these standards, it was the only goal, by the way. In Poland, I'll try to remain as calm as possible. I'm only interested in being a better version. I won't create expectations, the only thing left for me is just to shoot as hard as I can,” emphasized Darius.
Darius Coman on the podium PHOTO Roxana Fleșeru
The swimmer added that he feels very good in the short pool because he trains every day in such a pool. “It helps, it feels and it's a morale booster. This year I focused more on the breaststroke part.” His 200m breaststroke time of 2:04.46 is twelfth in the world this season.
Darius Coman was first in the overall ranking of the men's competition, with 899 points, followed by Theodor Proca (CSM Pitești) with 885 points and Denis Popescu with 885 points.
Denis Popescu. “Maybe I was lucky because David didn't participate”
Denis Popescu swam in six events in Otopeni, achieving five victories in the A finals in the 50m butterfly, 100m butterfly, 50m, 100m backstroke and 50m freestyle and a second place in the 100m freestyle.
“I did a small experiment this competition, I also tried the freestyle. And it was a successful experiment. On this occasion, maybe we will put more emphasis on the freestyle as well. I saw that it works even without much effort. I haven't swam in a competition for a very long time. Maybe I was lucky that David wasn't there either, I took advantage of the situation. But overall, this national championship was a great success. It showed me that I can do more than I imaginedhe said.
Denis Popescu at the end of a race PHOTO Roxana Fleșeru
Denis, a gold and bronze medalist at the European U23 Championships in the 100m butterfly and 50m butterfly, swam two events on Sunday, which were separated by a few minutes, the 100m backstroke and the 50m freestyle. “I saw that I'm well trained and I don't have to worry. I was a little stressed, I can't lie, I had emotions, to see if I could go on, if it goes on, if I die, if I don't die. But I can really say that they didn't feel that bad,” he emphasized.
I feel strong in the short pool. I like to swim underwater. Always in practice my teammates get annoyed that I keep swimming under the water and swimming on top and I recover and I think it's quite frustrating for them – Denis Popescu
He was present at the World Championships in Singapore, but did not catch any finals. How did he use this experience? “I wasn't very upset. In the end, my time worked for me, I saw that what I did at European was not an accident. Clearly, I still have work to do, clearly I learned from that experience and when you see yourself competing, when you see yourself side by side with the best and you see that you can compete with them, it somehow gives you an ambition that it can be better, that you do what you have to do”emphasized Denis Popescu.
For the European Short Course Championships in Poland I don't want to make expectations, but I want to make a good figure – Denis Popescu
After a vacation, he resumed preparations with some changes. “First of all, the program is different. We have a different structure for physical training as well as those in the water. All in all, I am much more organized, much better prepared with everything. With the passing of the years comes maturity and you get to achieve quite a lot, especially since it is not only important what you do in the water and in the gym, but also what you do outside of them”, Denis Popescu concluded.
