Paris Olympics, Day 2 Semifinals: David Popovici Storms to Top Seed for Final of 200 Freestyle

Paris Olympics, Day 2 Semifinals: David Popovici Storms to Top Seed for Final of 200 Freestyle

The first time David Popovici contested the 200-meter freestyle at the Olympic Games, he walked away from the championship final a mere .02 shy of the podium. That scenario unfolded three years ago in Tokyo, when Popovici was a newcomer to the elite global stage and stopped the clock in 1:44.68, just behind bronze medalist Fernando Scheffer of Brazil.

In Paris, the Romanian star appears poised to strike gold.

After cruising through the morning heats at La Defense Arena, Popovici picked up the pace in the semifinals to claim the top seed for the title race on Monday night. Still just 19 years old, Popovici delivered a time of 1:44.53 in the second of two semifinals. He was followed to the wall by Great Britain’s Duncan Scott, who earned the second seed for the final in 1:44.94. Scott was the silver medalist in the 200 freestyle in Tokyo.

The world champion in the 100 freestyle and 200 freestyle in 2022, Popovici endured a down year in 2023, leaving question marks about his preparedness for the Olympic campaign. But 2024 has seen a return to form, with the teen posting a mark of 1:43.13 in the 200 freestyle at last month’s European Championships in Belgrade. That effort served as proof that Popovici was ready for Paris, and was also a warning shot to the opposition.

Popovici is now on the cusp of becoming an Olympic champion, status he has seemed destined for since his breakout in 2021. The question is how fast can he be. Popovici owns a career best of 1:42.97.

• World record: Paul Biedermann, Germany, 1:42.00 (2009)
• Olympic record: Michael Phelps, U.S., 1:42.96 (2008)
• Tokyo Olympic champ: Tom Dean, Great Britain, 1:44.22

The times in the 1:45s, though, prefigure a wide-open race.

“It’s just the 2-free,” Scott said. “It’s pretty classic. It’s pretty cagey, a who’s going to make a move kind of thing. You just need to try to swim your own race and at points look around.”

While Scott was the only other man to crack the 1:45 barrier, American Luke Hobson used a back-half surge to win the first semifinal in 1:45.19. En route to the third seed, Hobson turned in a closing length of 26.52 – the fastest of the session – to pull to the front of his heat.

“I felt really good,” Hobson said. “Honestly, a perfect semifinal swim. I think there’s more in the tank but it’s great moving through.”

Behind Hobson was Germany’s Lukas Martens, who touched in 1:45.36. The previous night, Martens captured gold in the 400 freestyle.

Rounding out the field for the final were Australian Max Giuliani (1:45.37), Lithuania’s Danas Rapsys (1:45.48), Great Britain’s Matt Richards (1:45.63) and Japan’s Katsuhiro Matsumoto (1:45.88).

Giuliani is looking to cap a rapid rise with a medal, and the jumbled field might leave open a window for that.

“I think it’s anyone’s race,” the Aussie said. “On paper, it looks like David is the one to beat, but anything can happen, as we’ve seen this week so far.”

“Going into the final, I know it’s going to be a great race,” Hobson said. “I thrive on that. I’m really excited for it. It’s my favorite part of swimming, just racing.”