David Popovici Bypassing World Short Course Champs; Focused on 2027 Season
Romanian star David Popovici, the reigning Olympic champion in the 200-meter freestyle, will bypass next month’s World Short Course Championships in Beijing and focus on the 2027 season. Popovici’s father, Mihai, confirmed the decision to Swimming World. The 2026 campaign has been another banner year for the younger Popovici, who left the European Championships in Paris during the summer with titles in the 100 freestyle and 200 freestyle.
The fact that Popovici will not race at the World Short Course Championships is not a surprise, as the 22-year-old has always been selective with his competition schedule. Undoubtedly, Popovici is focused on the long-term goal of the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, where he will look to defend his title in the 200 freestyle. That feat has never been accomplished in the event in Olympic waters.
By passing on the World Short Course Championships, Popovici can immediately shift his attention to the 2027 season, which notably includes the next edition of the long-course World Champs. That meet is scheduled for July in Budapest and Popovici is the reigning gold medalist from 2025 in Singapore in the 100 freestyle and 200 freestyle. He was also a double-world champion in 2022, when the meet was last held in Budapest.
The 2026 season saw Popovici prevail in the 100 freestyle at the European Champs behind a world-leading time of 46.56, an effort that powered him to the wall ahead of Russia’s Egor Kornev (46.74) and Hungary’s Kristof Milak (46.87). In the 200 freestyle, Popovici won the title in 1:44.15. He remains one of only three athletes to go sub-1:43 in the 200 freestyle (1:42.97), Popovici the only individual to do so outside of the polyurethane suit era. Germany’s Paul Biedermann (1:42.00) and American Michael Phelps (1:42.96) are the other two members of the club.