Gold medal in the final of the European Championships in 46.86… Reduced previous record by 0.05 seconds
David Popovich (18), a promising Romanian swimmer who rivals Hwang Seon-woo (19, Gangwon Provincial Office), has set a new world record in the men’s 100m freestyle, which is 13 years old.
Popovich won the men’s 100m freestyle final at the 2022 European Swimming Championships held at Poro Italico in Rome, Italy on the 14th (Korean time) with a world record of 46.86.
Popovich’s record is 0.05 seconds ahead of the previous world record (46.91) set by César Cielo Filho (Brazil) at the FINA World Swimming Championships held at the same location in July 2009.
In 2009, it was just before the ban on wearing full-body swimsuits made of polyurethane, which even came up with the word ‘technical doping’.
Popovich, born in 2004, broke the record that no one had ever broken since then, after 13 years.
Popovich was 0.61 seconds ahead of second place Kristov Milak (Hungary, 47.47).
Third place was Alessandro Miresi (Italy, 47.63).
Popovich finished second in the first 50m section with a time of 22.74, behind Maxim Grouse (France, 22.72).
After that, in the remaining 50m, in an explosive race of 24.12 seconds, the first touchpad was taken.
Grouse finished fourth with a time of 47.78.
Popovich drew attention from the world swimming world by winning gold medals in both the men’s 100m and 200m freestyle at the 2022 FIFA World Swimming Championships held in Budapest, Hungary in June.
First, he colored his first medal at the World Championships in gold with a world junior record of 1:43.21, which is a whopping 1:26 faster than Hwang Seon-woo (1:44.47), who broke the Korean record in the 200m freestyle final. In the 100m freestyle final, he added a gold medal with a time of 47.58, beating Grouse (47.63).
Popovich became the first athlete in 49 years to win the men’s 100m and 200m freestyle titles at the single world championships since Jim Montgomery (USA) in the first event in 1973.
At that time, Popovich shook the world swimming world by setting a new world junior record (47.13), 0.22 seconds behind the world record in the semifinal of the 100m freestyle.
In the 100m freestyle competition held the previous day, they took first place in the preliminary round with a new competition record of 47.20, and then in the semifinal, where 16 people compete, they broke the world junior record, European record, and competition record at 46.98. made it to the finals.
The possibility of setting a new record was further inflated by approaching the world record of Cielo Fillho by 0.07 seconds.
After breaking the world record and winning the title, Popovich said, “I wasn’t in a hurry.
I had to wait extremely patiently for the world record. It’s hard, but it’s always worthwhile and I feel good now.
It is very special to break this record set in 2009 by César Cielo Filho.”
Cielu Fillu posted on his social media, “I thought this day would come.
And that’s how it happened,” he wrote. “My freestyle 100m world record was broken after 13 years.”
“Congratulations, Popovich,” he said after greeting the new world record holder, “I am delighted to have held this incredible record for so long.”
“The fastest new man in the world has appeared in the 100m freestyle.
He’s just started,” he said, expressing anticipation for the role that Popovich will show in the future.
/yunhap news