Romanian swimming star David Popovici wins gold medal at 2026 National Championships
World and Olympic swimming champion David Popovici prevailed in the 50-meter freestyle event at the National Championships for seniors, youth, and juniors in Otopeni, climbing the podium for the first time this year.
He finished the race in first place, ahead of Patrick Sebastian Dinu from CSM Constanța and Mihai Gergely from Universitatea Cluj. Popovici completed the race in 22 seconds and 2 hundredths, but did not manage to break the national record, which he also holds.
Popovici will also compete on Thursday, April 23, in the individual 200 m freestyle and the 100 m freestyle, and he will also be part of Dinamo club relays.
This National Championship in Otopeni is very important for seniors as well as for youth and juniors, according to federal coach Silviu Anastase. “It is the most important national competition of the year. Why? Because from there we select all the squads for the target competitions. We have the European Junior Championship, the European Senior Championship, and the Central European Countries competition for the 14–15 age category," he said.
Last year, David Popovici explained that he swims the 50-meter event to have a faster first 50 meters in the 100-meter race.
After the National Championships, Popovici has two more competitions this season: Sette Colli in Rome at the end of June and the European Championships in Paris between August 10 and 16. Last year, he set two European records in the 100 m freestyle: 46.71 in Šamorín and 46.51 in Singapore. He aims to continue improving his performance in 2026.
“I hope this is the first medal of many. It is the first competition in eight months. I came to give my best in this period of the year and to loosen up. This year, Paris is the main objective. As always, I only set out to have fun and feel good,” Popovici declared to TVR Sport.
(Photo source: FRNPM on Facebook)
