2024 ROMANIAN NATIONALS
- Wednesday, April 17th – Sunday, April 21st
- Otopeni, Romania
- LCM (50m)
- Start List
- Recap #1/Recap #2
- Results
The penultimate night of action at the 2024 Romanian Nationals saw former world record holder David Popovici back in the pool to contest the men’s 100m free.
After negative splitting a morning swim of 48.52, the 19-year-old posted a winning result of 47.86 to take the gold in this evening’s final.
Opening in 23.49 and closing in 24.37, Popovici led a trio of sub-50-second swimmers. Behind him was Patrick Sebastian Dinu who touched in 49.16 as the runner-up while George Adrian Ratiu bagged bronze in 49.53.
Popovici’s outing overtook his previous season-best of 48.01 logged at January’s Luxembourg Euro Meet. His best remains the 46.86 former world record he established at the 2022 World Championships before another 19-year-old, China’s Pan Zhanle, dropped it down to 46.80 at this year’s World Championships.
Already at these Nationals Popovici produced a 200m free mark of 1:45.10 and a new lifetime best of 3:47.54 in the 400m free.
On the women’s side, 17-year-old Rebecca Aimee Diaconescu unleashed the fastest 100m freestyle of her young career to take down a monumental Romanian record.
Diaconescu split 26.65/28.50 to stop the clock in 55.15, a result which wiped out the previous national standard of 55.40 Tamara Costache put on the books nearly 40 years ago…in 1986.
Entering this competition, Diaconescu’s lifetime best rest at the 55.64 posted at the 2023 European Junior Championships when she placed 4th.
He’s peaking at the right time.
Not sure what penultimate means but thankfully this is the second to last night
It’s a commonly used word, and, yes, it does mean next-to-last.
Most commonly used in football season.
Really glad to see him doing so well. Skinny Legend/Chlorine Daddy is so good for the sport, a unique guy and personality.
Isn’t his season best from this meet 1 year prior? https://staging.swimswam.com/david-popovici-swims-47-61-in-the-100-free-hits-olympic-a-cut-in-otopeni/
Isn’t that a different season…?
Yeah my mistake, I was thinking of season best meaning the fastest you have ever been in season.
that would be the in-season best
Not sure if it was mentioned elsewhere but 2007 born Robert Badea went 4.16 in the 400IM
Bob bowman incoming
In April 2022, Popovici went 48.11 in the 100 free, splitting 23.49/24.62.
Today he was 23.49/24.37 👀
every 100m freestyler is back halfing now
#Backhalfmeta
What about wr from Pan?) first 50 22.2, that’s front-end speed baby
Will Popovici swim just the 100/200 in Paris or the 400 and 50 too potentially? Are Romania’s relays qualified?
His PBs in 50 and 400 don’t hit the Olympic standards. I don’t think there will be any Romanian relays for the same reason.
Popovici is very close to the OLY 400 standard. Perhaps with a taper he could split 1:49/1:51 or so . If he is on the team in 100/200 and makes the 400 standard between now and then, Romanian Federation could nominate him.
Love how I got a downvote for stating facts. I’m Romanian and want as many Romanian swim medals as possible, but I can’t change the standards lol.