Editorial content for the 2023 World Aquatics Championships is sponsored by FINIS, a longtime partner of Swimming World and leading innovator of suits, goggles and equipment. David Popovici’s Worlds Takeaway: “I Need to Train Better” David Popovici had a thought flash in his mind as he hit the wall in the 200 freestyle on Tuesday at the World Championships. The sentiment was simple, its ramifications profound. “I need to train better,” the Romanian star said Thursday night. “I need to train more, and most importantly, I need to be more consistent. That’s the glue that holds it all together.” Popovici’s second World Championships in Fukuoka this week were a far cry from what he did in Budapest last summer. He’s leaving Japan without a medal, having finished fourth in the 200 and sixth in the 100, both events in which he holds world records. Ever willing to introspect, Popovici didn’t overreact to the placements, as could be easy from the outside. After all, he’s still that same kid with that same speed as 2022, still just 18 and still a phenom. But factors can slow even the brightest of talents, even if temporarily. A born racer, his heavy schedule of competitions may have caught up with him (he raced Worlds, European Championships and Euro Juniors last year). He’s not in easy races, with the depth in the 200 in particular growing by leaps and bounds with young talent from all corners of the globe. Fukuoka has brought those realities to his front door, and he sounds ready to take them on. “I feel good,” he said. “I feel good that it’s over and after I take some time off for myself, clear my head, reflect on this very busy and weird year I’ve had, I’ll go back in the pool training.” Popovici won both events in Budapest last year. He went 1:43.21 to take the 200, then 47.13 in the 100. Both were world junior records. He would wait until the European Championships the following month to take down the world records, both marks dating to the 2009 Worlds. Some of the adjustments are clear. In the 200 free final in Budapest, he came home in 26.94 over the final 50. He was back in 28.12 Thursday, the slowest of the field, after leading a crowded race for 150 meters. Champion Matt Richards closed in 26.53. In Budapest, he split 22.81-24.32 in the 100. His second 50 in Fukuoka was 25.10. Kyle Chalmers, always keen to chase guys down in the final 50, did that again in the 100 free final, splitting 24.11. That leads to an obvious conclusion for Popovici, which makes him confident that his struggles in Fukuoka are a blip that he can work out on the path to Paris. “Fortunately for me, what hasn’t gone perfectly here is trainable,” he said. “As long as I take care of my training, be more consistent than I have been this year, which had a lot of ups and downs, I’m going to be just fine.”
Not the 200m world record holder…
200m world junior record holder