{"id":6167,"date":"2025-08-04T07:01:43","date_gmt":"2025-08-04T07:01:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ofero.news\/?p=6167"},"modified":"2025-08-04T07:01:43","modified_gmt":"2025-08-04T07:01:43","slug":"david-popovici-returns-to-romania-after-double-gold-at-world-aquatics-championships","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ofero.news\/?p=6167","title":{"rendered":"David Popovici returns to Romania after double gold at World Aquatics Championships"},"content":{"rendered":"

Romania\u2019s star swimmer David Popovici<\/strong> arrived home on Sunday evening, August 3, to a hero\u2019s welcome at Otopeni Airport after winning two gold medals at the World Aquatics Championships in Singapore. The 20-year-old, who triumphed in both the 100m<\/a> and 200m<\/a> freestyle events, dismissed recent speculation about a possible retirement, saying he remains passionate about swimming and is proud of his team and achievements.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m super proud of myself and of my entire team,\u201d Popovici told reporters present at the airport, as quoted by Euronews Romania<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was a revealing competition for me, one where I really managed to push my limits. I still love swimming. I don\u2019t know where these rumors about me retiring came from, [\u2026] but there\u2019s absolutely no chance. If the time ever comes, you\u2019ll hear it from me,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

Popovici also opened up about a difficult period before the competition when he was close to withdrawing entirely.<\/p>\n

\u201cMore than the medals or the times I swam, I\u2019m proud that I didn\u2019t give up,\u201d he said. \u201cWith the support of my family, my girlfriend, and my friends, I found the strength to keep going. I think self-doubt is a taboo topic in sports, including in Romanian sports, but more athletes should talk about the moments when they question themselves. At the end of the day, I\u2019m not just an athlete – I\u2019m a human being.\u201d<\/p>\n

He also described his feelings on the podium as the Romanian flag was raised above those of swimming powerhouses like the United States, Australia, and the UK. \u201cTo see the Romanian flag above the stars and stripes, above Australia and Britain, makes me feel really proud. I\u2019m just a guy from Pantelimon, but I stood above the world\u2019s greatest swimming nations.\u201d<\/p>\n

David Popovici also took the opportunity to urge Romanian authorities to invest more seriously in sports infrastructure, calling on them to prioritize the long-overdue renovation of the Lia Manoliu swimming complex.\u00a0<\/p>\n

With his victories in Singapore, Popovici became the first swimmer in history to win both the 100m and 200m freestyle at two separate World Championships, having previously achieved the same feat in Budapest in 2022. In Singapore, he also set a new competition and European record in the 100m freestyle, finishing just 0.11 seconds behind the world record set by China\u2019s Zhanle Pan at the 2024 Olympics, where Popovici claimed bronze.<\/p>\n

irina.marica@romania-insider.com<\/p>\n

(Photo source:\u00a0Inquam Photos \/\u00a0Ovidiu\u00a0Micsik<\/a>)<\/em><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Romania\u2019s star swimmer David Popovici arrived home on Sunday evening, August 3, to a hero\u2019s welcome at Otopeni Airport after winning two gold medals at the World Aquatics Championships in Singapore. The 20-year-old, who triumphed in both the 100m and 200m freestyle events, dismissed recent speculation about a possible retirement, saying he remains passionate about […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6167","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ofero.news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6167","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ofero.news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ofero.news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ofero.news\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=6167"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/ofero.news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6167\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ofero.news\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=6167"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ofero.news\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=6167"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ofero.news\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=6167"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}