David Popovici clinches gold medal in men's 100m freestyle final at World Aquatics Championships

Romanian swimmer David Popovici clinched the gold medal in the men's 100m freestyle event on Thursday at the World Aquatics Championships in Singapore, clocking a time of 46.51 seconds.

David Popovici, 20, who had already seized gold in the men's 200m freestyle in Singapore, shattered both the competition and European records in the 100m freestyle. His winning time of 46.51 seconds was just 0.11 off the world record (46.40) set by China's Zhanle Pan at the 2024 Olympic Games.

The Romanian swimmer, who took bronze in the 100m freestyle at the Paris Olympics, entered the final with the second-fastest semifinal time (46.84) and had been the quickest in the heats (47.41).

This marks Popovici's second world title in the 100m freestyle, following his 2022 triumph in Budapest. He also holds two European titles in the event (2022 and 2024).

The silver medal went to American Jack Alexy (46.92), who had posted the best semifinal time, while Australia's Kyle Chalmers took bronze in 47.17 seconds.