Sports Roundup

David Popovici has become the first swimmer in history to win the 100- and 200-metre freestyle events at three consecutive European Championships.

Florin Orban, 17.08.2026, 13:45

The European Swimming Championships came to a close in Paris on Sunday. In the team standings, Romania finished in 9th place, with three medals, all of them gold. The first was won by Cătălin Preda, who triumphed in the high diving event. This was followed by two gold medals won by David Popovici in the 100-metre and 200-metre freestyle events. The Romanian swimmer thus became the first to achieve a ‘double’ in the sprint events at three consecutive editions of the European Championships.

The European Athletics Championships took place in Birmingham. Of the Romanian athletes, Rareș Toader performed best, finishing fifth in the shot put. Last year, in the Netherlands, Toader was European indoor champion. Another impressive performance came from Elena Andreea Taloș, who finished seventh in the triple jump. This ranking amongst the top eight athletes in Europe reaffirms the calibre and consistency of the 31-year-old athlete, who finished 10th at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.

At the European Gymnastics Championships in Zagreb, in the senior women’s competition, no Romanian gymnast managed to reach a final. The team finished 11th, thereby securing a place at the World Championships this autumn, scheduled to take place in Rotterdam. The junior team finished even lower in the rankings, in 12th place to be precise, but in the individual events, Aniela Tudor triumphed in the vault final. She was the only Romanian gymnast to qualify for a final.

Matches counting towards the fifth round of the Romanian Superliga football championship took place over the weekend. On Friday, Petrolul Ploieşti beat FC Voluntari 2–1 away, then, in Mioveni, FC Argeş and Farul Constanţa drew 1–1. Saturday’s match in Miercurea Ciuc between Csikszereda and Sepsi Sfântu Gheorghe also ended in a draw, this time 0–0. This was followed by the round’s derby, held in Bucharest, in which Dinamo beat Rapid 1–0 away from home. On Sunday, in Galați, Oțelul and Universitatea Craiova drew 1–1. The day concluded with the match in Arad, where Corvinul Hunedoara beat CFR Cluj 3–0. The final two matches of the round take place on Monday: Universitatea Cluj v UTA Arad and FCSB v FC Botoșani. Dinamo Bucharest and FC Argeș lead the table, both on 10 points. (MI)