Romania\u2019s star athlete David Popovici has been voted best men\u2019s swimmer in the 2025 European Aquatics Athlete of the Year Awards. According to the official announcement, he \u201csecured 37.94% of the total vote after a year of success at U23 and senior level.\u201d<\/p>\n
Popovici surpassed France\u2019s quadruple Paris 2024 champion Leon Marchand, who earned a vote share of 31.52%. Hungary\u2019s Hubert Kos took third place with a 16.57% vote share.<\/p>\n
\u201cPopovici repeated his 2022 world double in the 100m and 200m freestyle, lowering his own European record in the former event to 46.51 \u2013 just 0.11 off the world record,\u201d said<\/a> the European Aquatics.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cEarlier in the summer at the second European Aquatics U23 Championships in Samorin the 20-year-old had lowered the 100m freestyle European record to 46.71 en route to a 100\/200m freestyle double.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n\n