Romania’s star athlete David Popovici has been voted best men’s swimmer in the 2025 European Aquatics Athlete of the Year Awards. According to the official announcement, he “secured 37.94% of the total vote after a year of success at U23 and senior level.”

Popovici surpassed France’s quadruple Paris 2024 champion Leon Marchand, who earned a vote share of 31.52%. Hungary’s Hubert Kos took third place with a 16.57% vote share.

“Popovici repeated his 2022 world double in the 100m and 200m freestyle, lowering his own European record in the former event to 46.51 – just 0.11 off the world record,” said the European Aquatics. 

“Earlier in the summer at the second European Aquatics U23 Championships in Samorin the 20-year-old had lowered the 100m freestyle European record to 46.71 en route to a 100/200m freestyle double.” 

Also in the 2025 European Aquatics Athlete of the Year Awards, Marrit Steenbergen has been named the best women’s swimmer.

irina.marica@romania-insider.com

(Photo source: Europeanaquatics.org)