David Popovici<\/strong> set a new world record of 46.86 in the 100m freestyle final at the European Championships<\/strong> in Rome.<\/p>\n The 17-year-old sliced 0.05secs off the previous standard of 46.91 set by Cesar Cielo<\/strong> in the very same Foro Italico<\/strong> at the 2009 World Championships<\/strong> at the height of the shiny-suit era.<\/p>\n He became the second-youngest man in history to break the WR in the two-length event following Andy Coan<\/strong> who held it for 20 days in 1975 and the most youthful European.<\/p>\n It also secured a first European senior title for the Romanian, little more than seven weeks after he claimed the 100-200 double<\/a> at the World Championships in Budapest.<\/p>\n Popovici is also the first Romanian – male or female – to win the 100 free title and only the second medallist in the event after Norbert Trandafir<\/strong> claimed European bronze in 2012.<\/p>\n