Romania’s David Popovici, Denis Popescu win gold on first day of European U23 Swimming Championships

Romania started strong at the European Aquatics U23 Swimming Championships in Samorin, Slovakia, claiming two gold medals on the first day of competition.

Swimming star David Popovici took gold in the men’s 200m freestyle with a time of 1:43.64, while Denis Popescu claimed the top podium spot in the 100m butterfly, finishing in 51.48 seconds.

Popescu's performance also set a new national record in the over-19 age category, according to the Romanian Swimming Federation.

Romania’s national anthem played twice during the evening finals, as the country’s flag was raised for both victories.

Other Romanian swimmers also made it to the finals. Vlad Mihalache finished seventh in the 100m butterfly with a time of 52.67 seconds. In the women’s 800m freestyle, Rebecca Diaconescu narrowly missed the podium, placing fourth in 8:36.84. Alexandru Constantinescu competed in the men’s 200m backstroke final, finishing eighth with a time of 2:01.23.

(Photo source: Cateyeperspective/Dreamstime.com)