David Popovici Blasts 46.72 Championship File 100 Free Semiremaining Swim, #4 Efficiency Ever

2026 European Swimming Championships

Men’s 100 Freestyle — Semi-Finals

Top 8 Advancing To Final: 

1. David Popovici (ROU), 46.72 CR
2. Luca Hoek (ESP), 47.26
3. Egor Kornev (NAB), 47.27
4. Nandor Nemeth (HUN), 47.44
5. Carlos D’Ambrosio (ITA), 47.70
6. Tomas Navikonis (LTU), 47.91
7. Kristof Milak (HUN), 47.97
8. Jere Hribar (CRO), 48.04

In the semifinals of the boys’s 100 free on the European Swimming Championships, Romanian famous person David Popovici charged to an enormous 46.72 championship file swim, downing his personal four-year-old mark of 46.86 from the 2022 version of those championships. This swim additionally marks the 4th quickest efficiency ever within the occasion, and the third quickest of his profession.

Popovici, racing out of the 2nd semifinal, opened up in 22.57, simply seven hundredths of a second forward of Egor Kornev within the warmth on the first flip. His again half was the place he made his transfer, rising his result in a few half physique size via the ultimate 25 meters, splitting 24.15 on the ultimate 50, touching greater than a half second faster than Luca Hoek of Spain in 47.26, who would find yourself being the 2nd quickest performer within the semifinals.

Popovici now holds six of the ten quickest performances in historical past within the males’s 100 freestyle.

Men’s 100 Freestyle LCM Top Performances All-Time:

1. Pan Zhanle (CHN) – 46.40 (2024)
2. David Popovici (ROU) – 46.51 (2025)
3. David Popovici (ROU) – 46.71 (2025)
4. David Popovici (ROU) – 46.72 (2026)
5. Pan Zhanle (CHN) – 46.80 (2024)
6. Jack Alexy (USA) – 46.81 (2025)
7. David Popovici (ROU) – 46.84 (2025)
8. David Popovici (ROU) – 46.86 (2022)
9. David Popovici (ROU) – 46.88 (2024)
10. Cesar Cielo (BRA)/ Jack Alexy (USA) – 46.91 (2009/2025)

That time additionally put him forward of Kornev because the quickest performer on the earth this season within the occasion, taking excessive spot from Kornev’s 46.96 from the Russian Swimming Championships from two months in the past.

Splits Comparison:

The semifinal races additionally featured a number of different nationwide data; Hoek, who we talked about completed 2nd within the warmth behind Popovici, notched a large profession greatest en path to a Spanish nationwide file, touching a close to half-second forward of his personal earlier file time of 47.72 from the Spanish Championships in late June. Prior to this season, the file hadn’t ever been beneath 48 seconds.

Lithuania’s Tomas Navikonis additionally clocked a nationwide file within the semifinals, decreasing Danas Rapsys‘ Lithuanian normal of 48.04 from 2024, changing into the primary countryman ever below the 48-second barrier in 47.91, incomes him a spot within the championship remaining in sixth.

Hungary’s Nandor Nemeth additionally made nationwide historical past on his strategy to a championship finals berth, touching in 47.44 to complete 4th out of the semifinals, taking three hundredths off of Kristof Milak‘s Hungarian file mark of 47.77.