‘Keep it simple’ as Romanian swim star David Popovici embraces stress
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David Popovici shot to prominence when he won 100m and 200m freestyle golds at the 2022 World Championships, but left the 2023 edition empty-handed.
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BUCHAREST – Romanian swimming star David Popovici has said that he has learnt to “embrace” the demands of the sport after a challenging 2023, in which he has struggled to cope with growing expectations.
Popovici, 19, shot to prominence when he won the 100m and 200m freestyle golds at the 2022 World Championships in Budapest, but the teenager left the 2023 edition in Fukuoka in July empty-handed
“It’s been a busy year, but I’ve been through things every team or every person had to go through at some point,” he said on Dec 4, ahead of the European short-course championships in Otopeni, Romania.
“I’ve had my final high school exams, I had to get a driver’s licence, I had to become a student. Juggling with that, I’ve also had to work for the world championships.”
The Romanian still holds the world record in the 100m freestyle,
The man who replaced him as world champion, Kyle Chalmers of Australia, said at the time that Popovici’s failure proved that “no one’s invincible”.
Asked what his experiences of falling short had taught him most, Popovici replied: “Simply that I have to not take myself too seriously. I should keep it simple.
“It’s an honest and simple answer. Because it can become stressful at times.”
He added: “But I think stress is a part of it, I think we should better embrace it and try and work with it.
“Expectations grew and most importantly, I think, also my own expectations reported to myself grew.
“I think it’s extremely important to not lose the passion that you started with.”
The teenager is hoping to bounce back this week at home as he prepares for the 2024 Olympics in Paris. He reached the finals of the 100m and 200m freestyle in Tokyo in 2021 when he was still just 16.
“I feel very confident in my training and in our training as a team and I’m also excited to see how I perform in the short course,” he added.
“And, of course, leading up to the Olympics, which are after all the most important competition for me.” AFP
