Romanian star swimmer David Popovici won three medals, including two golds, at the 62nd edition of the Settecolli Trophy in Rome, one of Europe's most prestigious international swimming competitions. He concluded the meet by setting a new competition record in the men's 200m freestyle.

Popovici claimed gold in the 200m freestyle on the final day with a time of 1:44.48, establishing a new Settecolli meet record. 

Earlier in the competition, he won gold in the 100m freestyle and silver in the 50m freestyle, the Romanian Swimming and Modern Pentathlon Federation (FRNPM) announced.

The Romanian delegation also saw Robert Badea finish third in the B final of the men's 200m individual medley with a time of 2:03.01, while Eric Andrieș was eliminated in the heats of the 200m freestyle after recording 1:50.71.

Romania's team in Rome was coached by Bogdan Stroe and Iulia Becheru, with Dragoș Luscan serving as physiotherapist. The delegation was led by FRNPM president Camelia Potec.

Following the competition, David Popovici thanked his team and supporters in a message shared on social media.

"I'm happy with what I achieved in Rome. Thank you to my team and to all of you for being part of this journey. Rome has a piece of my heart. Forever," he wrote, adding the phrase in Italian: "Roma ha un pezzo del mio cuore. Per sempre.”

irina.marica@romania-insider.com

(Photo source: Facebook/FRNPM, by Raed Krishan)