David Popovici Goes Top Of 200 Free Rankings & Darius Coman Twice Lowers Romanian 200 Breast Record
Olympic champion David Popovici posted a 1:45.07 200 freestyle to claim his second title in as many days at the Romanian Championships in Otopeni.
It was the 12th fastest of the 20-year-old’s career topped by his WJR of 1:42.97 en-route to gold at the 2022 European Championships in Rome. However, it propelled him to the top of the 2025 rankings albeit with trials season about to get underway in earnest.
He added the 200 title to his 50 free gold in which he set a national record of 21.83 on the opening day of the meet on Wednesday.
Eric Stefan Andries was next home in 1:50.45 with Robert Badea picking up bronze in 1:50.85, a day after setting a national record in the 200IM.
Rebecca Diaconescu was the only woman inside 2mins as she claimed the 200 free title in 1:59.53. It was the fourth-swiftest of the 18-year-old’s career topped by her 1:58.97 PB that secured silver at the 2024 European Junior Championships in Vilnius, Lithuania. She was followed home by Ioana Maria Stirbu (2:01.91) and Maysa Ratiu (2:02.77).
Darius Coman twice lowered the Romanian record in the men’s 200m breaststroke. The 17-year-old had a PB of 2:15.87 coming into the meet but he dismantled that in prelims where he stopped the clock at 2:14.54 to cut 0.19 from the national standard of 2:14.73 set by Dragos Agache at the Romanian Indoor Swimming National Championships in April 2011.
Coman returned in the evening to take a chunk off his morning effort with a new entry into the record books of 2:12.76. Daniel Nicusan was second in 2:15.81 with Matei-Cristian State next home in 2:16.73.
Daria Asaftei won the women’s title, leading throughout to touch in 2:30.01. Tamara Lospa (2:31.20) and Alecsia Maria Tenciu (2:32.53) followed her home.
Denisa Bacalu was the only woman inside 27secs as she won the 50 fly in 26.80, just 0.07 off Bianca Costea’s national record of 26.73 set in June last year. The men’s equivalent was a closer-run thing as Vlad Stefan Mihalache claimed the title ahead of Denis Popescu in 23.53 to 23.63.
