As David Popovici has accelerated past his older rivals in the pool this summer, it seemed inevitable that the lanky 17-year-old would threaten world records, the only surprise when he broke the 100m freestyle mark in Rome on Saturday was that he achieved so much. fast so fast
On Friday, the Romanian had become only the fourth man in history to swim under 47 seconds as he set a European record to win his semi-final at the European Championships in Rome.
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It was more than half a second faster than her gold medal time at the World Championships in June.
On Saturday, he was even faster, swimming 46.86 seconds to shave 0.05 seconds off the record set by Brazil’s Cesar Cielo at the 2009 World Championships, also in Rome, in the floaty bodysuit era.
“I said yesterday that the European record was just a step in the right direction, and I was right. There was no rush and I had to be extremely patient with the world record,” he said after his victory.
At the World Championships in Budapest, Popovici beat Caeleb Dressel, who had swum the fastest 100 m in a textile suit, in the heats.
The Olympic champion withdrew from the competition before the semis.
Romania’s David Popovici set a new world record in the men’s 100m freestyle. (Photo by Alberto PIZZOLI / AFP)Source: AFP
“It’s nice to be able to say I’m the fastest he’s ever done and it’s good to know I’ve been up against all the titans in this race.”
His coach, Adrian Radulescu, said he too was surprised by the speed of Popovici’s progress.
“It’s unbelievable that it happened so soon,” said Radulescu, just 32 years old.
Asked Thursday what makes him successful, Popovici acknowledged that success comes at a price.
“When Erling Haaland, a soccer player, was asked the same question, he answered ‘hard work’. So it really is a lot of hard work and a lot of sacrifice and it all comes down to the question of how much do you want this; and I really want it, very much!”
“What are you willing to do that others aren’t? That includes living a completely different lifestyle.”
This summer, Popovici dominated the World Championships and the European Junior Championships in his hometown of Bucharest.
After Rome he plans to go to the world junior championship in Lima
“Really, the only thing I want to get out of this meet and the world juniors in Peru is just to have fun. The medals, the records, everything, the good times are just a bonus. If we manage to have fun, that’s very satisfying,” he said.
Not everyone can share their idea of fun.
“In sport everything is fun. Being really tired and then wanting to throw up,” she said.
“Having all kinds of lactate issues…it’s fine. It’s not fun at the time, but after half an hour you don’t want to kill yourself anymore and you feel like it’s worth it.”
Popovici was nine years old when he joined the swimming club where Radulescu trains.
Popovici is only 17 years old. (Photo by Alberto PIZZOLI / AFP)Source: AFP
“He wasn’t the easiest to train, he was mostly looking for fun, skipping his turn… But he had something special about him, he was very competitive.”
“He must have been ten years old, we were organizing a competition for swimmers of the same age,” the coach recalled.
“A 25-meter swim and the last one was eliminated… Each time, David finished second last. In front of him, they wanted to prove that they were good, they got tired. In the last race, the other survivor was so tired that David won.”
Popovici is unusually thin for a top swimmer.
“David has a great sense of the water,” Radulescu said.
“It’s not about how much force you can generate, but how you can put it into the speed you develop. So yes, it’s very thin, but it has enough strength to swim at higher speeds.”
But, he added, the coach, Popovici’s physique will change.
“In September he will be 18 years old, his body will grow, it will evolve to the size of a man. It’s a challenge … getting the right balance between strength and efficiency.”
Popovici already has a nickname: ‘The Magician’.
“I was into magic when I was a kid, card tricks and illusions and stuff, but not anymore. It was a bit of a hobby before swimming”, he explained.
“But yes, some people have called me El Mag because of what I do in the pool, but again, I don’t think that represents me. I like to think of myself as a simple guy who swims fast.”