After the 100 meters freestyle final end, where he achieved the bronze medal, at the Olympics 2024 Paris, David Popovici, the Romanian 19 year old swimmer, first ever male swimming Olympic champion for this country burst out at the interview, telling a painful truth, few speak about. Basically, David reinforced the fact that in Romania it is zero infrastructure for proper training for most of the sports, swimming included. Or, at least, in terms of the caliber such a country should have in developing facilities, given its size and population. I would say that Romania has none feasible infrastructure back to back, the lack of it is not seen only in sports, but this is a painful subject and a lost cause, so then I will keep my eyes on the declarations of this phenomenon youngster.

David Popovici got a tan because of the training conditions

Now, I don’t agree you need to support any sportsman or sportswoman juts because he / she is from your country, and I am not doing that, but David Popovici competes in a sport I know and like, and also he can speak very articulate in both Romanian and English, meaningful words, a thing that, face facts, is very rare from the sports world. David Popovici took two medals, a gold and a bronze at the Olympics 2024 Paris, becoming Olympic Champion at 200 meters freestyle, but he mentioned the irony of having a tan along his eyes, where his swimming glasses lines are visible, because he is forced to train in an open facility at least from time to time, and in the winter in a improvised cover that takes your air away in mater of minutes. Of course, it is too late to change these things, because everything should have been done at least 20 years ago, to be able and set a foundation, but still a paradox remained.

Hope to see him in the next Olympic Games, from Los Angeles

David Popovici is at his second Olympic Games, and in 2021, he was so close for another bronze, but finished forth in the 200 meters. He was 16 years back then, and some of us, who have good knowledge about sports realized his value. Not the televisions, though, which were caught by surprise, when he won the World Championship in 2022. Of course it was obvious that an Olympic medal – at least – is the ultimate goal, and David managed to achieve two, days before becoming 20. This should push for at least another Olympic Game, in 2028, at Los Angeles. The question would be if David Popovici will have the mental strength to train in the same, or worst conditions, in Romania for another cycle. He is still very young, he might have the patience, compensating with his qualities the poor conditions.

Quick check… David Popovici vs. Nemeth. Romania vs. Hungary, in swimming

In the end, instead of making some other comments, I cannot go over my remark that David Popovici took the 100 meters freestyle bronze in front of Nemeth, from Hungary, by 0.01 second! And I am saying this, because Budapest has a swimming pool that organizes the World Championship every five years (2017-2022-2027) and also Hungary is fourth all-time in the Swimming Olympics hierarchy. With 29 gold medals, comparing to four that Romania has… A neighbor country, with 40% of the Romania’s population…

Photo: sport.ro