European Aquatics: Romania’s star athlete David Popovici voted best men’s swimmer of 2025

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.

(Photo source: Europeanaquatics.org)