{"id":609654,"date":"2025-04-10T08:47:02","date_gmt":"2025-04-10T15:47:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/?p=609654"},"modified":"2025-04-10T09:21:30","modified_gmt":"2025-04-10T16:21:30","slug":"david-popovici-goes-top-of-200-free-rankings-darius-coman-twice-lowers-romanian-200-breast-record","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/david-popovici-goes-top-of-200-free-rankings-darius-coman-twice-lowers-romanian-200-breast-record\/","title":{"rendered":"David Popovici Goes Top Of 200 Free Rankings & Darius Coman Twice Lowers Romanian 200 Breast Record"},"content":{"rendered":"

David Popovici Goes Top Of 200 Free Rankings & Darius Coman Twice Lowers Romanian 200 Breast Record<\/h4>\n

Olympic champion David Popovici<\/strong> posted a 1:45.07 200 freestyle to claim his second title in as many days at the Romanian Championships<\/strong> in Otopeni.<\/p>\n

It was the 12th fastest of the 20-year-old’s career topped by his WJR of 1:42.97 en-route to gold at the 2022 European Championships<\/strong> in Rome. However, it propelled him to the top of the 2025 rankings albeit with trials season about to get underway in earnest.<\/p>\n

He added the 200 title to his 50 free gold in which he set a national record of 21.83 on the opening day of the meet on Wednesday.<\/p>\n

Eric Stefan Andries was next home in 1:50.45 with Robert Badea<\/strong> picking up bronze in 1:50.85, a day after setting a national record in the 200IM.<\/p>\n

Rebecca Diaconescu<\/strong> was the only woman inside 2mins as she claimed the 200 free title in 1:59.53. It was the fourth-swiftest of the 18-year-old’s career topped by her 1:58.97 PB that secured silver at the 2024 European Junior Championships<\/strong> in Vilnius, Lithuania. She was followed home by Ioana Maria Stirbu<\/strong> (2:01.91) and Maysa Ratiu<\/strong> (2:02.77).<\/p>\n

Darius Coman<\/strong> twice lowered the Romanian record in the men’s 200m breaststroke. The 17-year-old had a PB of 2:15.87 coming into the meet but he dismantled that in prelims where he stopped the clock at 2:14.54 to cut 0.19 from the national standard of 2:14.73 set by Dragos Agache<\/strong> at the Romanian Indoor Swimming National Championships<\/strong> in April 2011.<\/p>\n

Coman returned in the evening to take a chunk off his morning effort with a new entry into the record books of 2:12.76. Daniel Nicusan<\/strong> was second in 2:15.81 with Matei-Cristian State<\/strong> next home in 2:16.73.<\/p>\n

Daria Asaftei<\/strong> won the women’s title, leading throughout to touch in 2:30.01. Tamara Lospa<\/strong> (2:31.20) and Alecsia Maria Tenciu<\/strong> (2:32.53) followed her home.<\/p>\n

Denisa Bacalu<\/strong> was the only woman inside 27secs as she won the 50 fly in 26.80, just 0.07 off Bianca Costea’s<\/strong> national record of 26.73 set in June last year. The men’s equivalent was a closer-run thing as Vlad Stefan Mihalache<\/strong> claimed the title ahead of Denis Popescu<\/strong> in 23.53 to 23.63.<\/p>\n

Diaconescu returned for the mixed medley relay where she anchored a Clubul Sportiv al Armatei Steaua Bucuresti quartet to victory in 3:56.62 with CSM Constanta second in 3:57.58 and a junior Steaua Bucuresti squad taking third in 4:07.54.<\/p>\n

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