32 Facts About David Popovici

David Popovici is a former world record holder in the long course 100-metre freestyle and the current junior world record holder in the long course 200-metre freestyle.

David Popovici holds the junior world record in the short course 100-metre freestyle.

At the 2022 World Aquatics Championships, Popovici won gold medals in his two signature events, becoming the first swimmer to do so at the same edition of the World Championships, since Jim Montgomery in 1973.

David Popovici was born in Bucharest, Romania, and he started swimming at Lia Manoliu pool at the age of 4, at a doctor's recommendation to correct early stage scoliosis.

At the 2020 European Aquatics Championships in Budapest, which took place from 10 to 23 May 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, David Popovici managed to swim below the Olympic Qualifying Time in the Men's 100-metre freestyle event and by doing so, he qualified for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, being the youngest member of the Romanian team.

David Popovici broke the Romanian national record three times during the event, finishing sixth place in the final.

David Popovici competed in the Men's 50-metre freestyle and the Men's 200-metre freestyle, meeting the Olympic Selection Time in both of the events.

David Popovici won a total of four medals, at the 2021 European Junior Swimming Championships in Rome, where he broke the 100-metre freestyle junior world record twice.

David Popovici won his third gold medal in the 50-metre freestyle event, where he finished 0.61 seconds ahead of second-place finisher Nikita Chernousov.

At the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, which were postponed to 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, David Popovici competed in the 50-metre, 100-metre, and 200-metre freestyle individual events, following his good performances at the European Championships.

David Popovici failed to qualify for the finals in the Men's 100-metre freestyle, and Men's 400-metre freestyle individual events.

At the 2022 World Championships, David Popovici won gold medals in the Men's 100-metre freestyle and the Men's 200-metre freestyle, becoming the first swimmer in 49 years to win gold in both sprint events, at the same edition of the world championships.

David Popovici dominated throughout the heats, semifinals and final of the 200-metre freestyle event, firstly clocking a personal best 1:44.40 in the semifinal, to take the top seed and break a world junior record.

On Day 4, in the semifinal of the 100-metre freestyle, David Popovici broke his third world junior record in as many days by clocking a 47.13, heading into the final as the top seed by nearly half a second.

At the 2022 European Junior Championships in Otopeni, David Popovici competed in five individual and relay events, winning either gold or silver in all five of them, and helping his compatriots to what was going to be Romania's most successful European Junior Championships.

David Popovici kept his momentum rolling from the world championships into Rome, where he entered to compete at the 2022 European Aquatics Championships.

David Popovici's meet started with the 100-metre freestyle, where in the prelims he clocked a new championship record of 47.20.

David Popovici followed that up with a 46.98 performance in the semifinals, setting a new world junior record and European record.

On 13 August 2022, David Popovici one-upped himself in the final, touching at 46.86 to not only win gold, but break Cesar Cielo's 13-year-old world record in the event, by 0.05 seconds.

Two weeks before his eighteenth birthday, David Popovici competed at the 2022 World Junior Championships in Lima, in his final long course international competition as a junior athlete.

David Popovici twice lowered the FINA World Junior Championship Record in the 100-metre freestyle; first by leading off the relay in prelims, and then again in the final.

David Popovici ended up touching the wall almost three seconds before silver medalist Daniel Meszaros, who was timed in 1:48.98.

On day two of the 2022 World Short Course Championships in Melbourne, Australia, David Popovici set a new world junior record in the semifinals of the 100-metre freestyle with a time of 45.91 seconds, which was 0.20 seconds faster than the former mark of 46.11 by Kliment Kolesnikov.

At the 2023 World Championships in Fukuoka, David Popovici entered the Men's 100-metre freestyle and the Men's 200-metre freestyle events.

David Popovici then led in the semis with a season-best time of 1:44.70.

David Popovici remained under the record pace at the half point with a 50.18 split.

David Popovici then showed no signs of faltering at the 150-metre mark with a 26.60 to remain under his best pace, but disaster struck on the last fifty meters, coming home in a sluggish 28.12, which saw him passed by Matt Richards, Tom Dean, and Hwang Sun-woo.

David Popovici finished in fourth, with a time of 1:44.90.

In December 2021, David Popovici signed an endorsement deal with Arena.

In July 2022, David Popovici was awarded the Order of the Star of Romania, the highest civil order in the nation, by the Romanian president Klaus Iohannis.

In May 2023, David Popovici donated one of the gold medals he won at the 2022 World Championships to charity, having it melted into little golden ribbons that were gifted as a sign of hope for children diagnosed with cancer.

In July 2023, David Popovici became Swimming Brand Ambassador for Omega.