Reaching Michael Phelps’ world record of 23 Olympic gold medals looks unlikely. He conquered swimming for a prolonged period and consistently performed for nearly two decades. But, one name on everybody’s lips is the Romanian wonderkid, David Popovici. The impressive swimmer broke the world record with an unstoppable swim in the 100-meter event at the European Championships. Meanwhile, he is getting close to Phelps’ best 200-meter freestyle record.

For people to compare him with Phelps is reasonable as he broke into the swimming picture in his teenage years. Thus, Popovici is a name that will echo through the hearts of the swimming fraternity, making his entry into the sport of swimming. And what an entry it is! He remains near Phelps’ best and might beat it soon. 

The next Michael Phelps?

Since Popovici won at the European Junior Championships, they discussed his name amongst the best. He made the 2020 Tokyo Olympics swimming team for Romania and raised eyebrows with outstanding performances. But, at this year’s World Championships in Budapest, he finally arrived. He won the 100 and 200-meter freestyle competitions while showing massive signs of improvement. Thus, his performance in the 200-meters gets him closer to Michael. 

The fastest Phelps swam in the 200-meter freestyle came at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. He set a time of 1:42.96 during those Olympics as Popovici set 1:42.97 in the 200-meter freestyle race. Davis is just 0.1 seconds behind to break Phelps’ fastest time. With the rate at which he is improving, it is assuredly a matter of time before he achieves this feat. 

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After breaking the 100-meter world record, he became the youngest man since Phelps to break it at 17. He set a time of 46.86 and broke Cesar Cielo’s 46.91. Phelps’ personal best in the 100-meter event stands at 47.51. Therefore, Popovici is the talk of the town. 

Paris 2024 Olympics is a must-watch!

The level of swimmers coming up the ranks has made the sport thrilling. There are many bright talents out there who specialize in various events. British swimmer Adam Peaty still rules the breaststroke events. He is just 27. Kristof Milak from Hungary proves to be a butterfly expert, and let’s not forget about Leon Marchand, who is improving under coach Bob Bowman. 

Two more names to add to that list are Caeleb Dressel and Kyle Chalmers. The former won the gold medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. To sum up, the sport of swimming looks encouraging as David Popovici aims to rule the swimming competitions for the next few years. 

WATCH THIS STORY- Legendary Michael Phelps vs 17-year-old Chlorine Daddy David Popovici: whos Faster?