How do David Popovici and Pan Zhanle differ? 64 arm strokes, the same average beat in the water! The revolutionary conclusion
Article by Oana Enemănescu – published Monday, August 04, 2025, 11:43 / Updated Monday, August 04, 2025 11:44
Brazilian Gustavo Lima, a swimming biomechanics specialist, picked up some interesting data, after comparing David Popovici's fastest races and Pan Zhanle in the 100 -meter free sample. David Popovici, a double world champion in Singapore, at 100 and 200 m free, made in the final of 46.51 seconds, while the Chinese still holds the world record, with 46.40 seconds, established during the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
Lima analyzed the best performances of the two athletes, who represent the most valuable times registered in the 100-meter free race, focusing on the distance crossed by arm, but also on the rhythm of the beats.
Instagram published on Gustavo Lima, comparing the best 100 m free performances by David Popovici and Pan Zhanle
Pan Zhanle and David Popovici start in force, then decrease the cadence
The first thing observed was that Pan's rhythm begins very high, then descends constantly during the race. And Popovici begins in force, then the cadence decreases, on the first 50 meters, both slower than PAN, the Olympic champion of the sample.
But things are reversed in the second half of the race. David Popovici has a much better rhythm over the last 50 meters than PAN.
However, the Chinese swimmer has a long-arm stroke in the second half of the race, which helps him balance the slower cadence. When the final line is drawn, the fact that Pan crosses the first 50 meters more efficiently than Popovici represents the difference that brought him the small advance for the race in which he set the world record compared to the one in which the Romanian stopped the stopwatch near the second time recorded at 100 meters free.
And more interesting is the fact that both have the same average beat rate (50.7) and an average distance per extremely close. And Popovici, and Pan have exactly 64 arm blows in the two races in which they set the two records.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=swy90k6yzdi
Revolution David Popovici – Pan Zhanle
The conclusion is a very simple one: the two swimmers are part of a new generation of athletes specialized on 100 and 200 meters free, not on 50 and 100 as before, and have a much more slender constitution than classical speed swimmers.
Therefore, their races are very similar to each other. Experts say that this shows, most likely, that there is a new formula for achieving such resounding performances at 100 meters free.
I like to believe that trends come back after a certain time. If I think of Aleksandr Popov, he was not very massive. If I think of Jim Montgomery, he was not very massive either. I think, if the direction in which the training went was that of the massive individual, it does not mean that things are right only. I think we, also Pan Zhanle, have shown that things can be otherwise.
– Adrian Rădulescu, the coach of David Popovici
