Athlete of the Year 2022

On July 9th 1922, in Alameda, California, Johnny Weissmuller ended the one hundred meter race in less than one minute. Born in Freidorf, close to Timisoara, in western Romania, Weissmuller was to become famous for both his Olympic wins and the part he played in Tarzan, the Ape Man series. After more than 100 years, another swimmer born in Romania broke the record in the one hundred meter race to officially become the fastest swimmer in history.

At the European Championships in Rome on August 13th the Romanian David Popovici ended the one hundred meter race in 46 seconds and 86 hundredths beating a 13 year old record held by Cielo Filho of Brazil, who ended the race in 46 seconds and 91 hundredths at the world championships in Rome in 2009, when tech suits for increasing speed were still allowed.

Besides the title in Rome, David Popovici has also reaped the world and European titles in the 100 and 200 meter free-style races both in junior and senior competitions. His great performances have also brought him Athlete of the Year title from Radio Romania International. He also compelled recognition in the world championship in Budapest in June. The two titles he won in the 100 and 200 meter races were a first for the Romanian swimming.

Thousands of swimming fans gathered at the new aqua facility in Otopeni, close to Bucharest in July, to witness his performance in the European junior championship, from where Romanian swimmers walked away with 9 medals. David won the 50, 100 and 200 meter free-style races and had a big hand in the gold medal won by the 4X100 relay team of Romania, a country, which ended in the third position after Hungary and Poland.

At the European championships in Rome and the world record in the 100 meter race, Popovici came very close to a world record also in the European final of 200 meters. He won the race in one minute, 47 seconds and 97 hundredths, one second after German Paul Biederman who set the record also in Rome in 2009. Popovici's time was on hundredth after the one of his idol, Michael Phelps, who reaped the Olympic gold in Beijing, in 2008.

Romania came fourth in the nations' ranking of the world junior championships held in Lima, Peru, in September. The Romanians walked away with four medals, two silver and two bronze, from the aforementioned competition. David stepped onto the podium's highest step three times; after the finals of the 100 meter and 200 meter races and after the 4x100 meter relay race. With the mixed relay race of 100 meters he obtained the silver medal.

The year ended with the world short course championships in Melbourne, where David Popovici became the silver medalist in the 200 meter race, came fourth in the 100 meters and set a new junior world record.