SwimSwam Popovici Drops 46.7/1:43.6 Freestyles At U23 Euros, Great Britain Tops Medal Table At Euro Juniors

Popovici Tunes Up For Singapore In Samorin: David Popovici has thrown down the gauntlet heading into the 2025 World Championships, throwing down a pair of world-leading times at the U23 European Championships in Samorin.

Also: All the highlights from the European Junior Championships, Penny Oleksiak withdraws from Worlds and Lia Thomas' records are erased by the University of Pennsylvania.

Popovici Lowers European Record In 100 Free, Grabs World Lead In 200 Free

David Popovici sent a warning shot to his rivals leading into the World Championships later this month in Singapore, as the Romanian superstar produced the second-fastest swim in history in the 100 freestyle and added the fastest time in the world this year in the 200 free.

Competing at the LEN U23 European Championships in Samorin, Slovakia, the 20-year-old first clocked 1:43.64 in the final of the men's 200 free to overtake American Luke Hobson (1:43.73) for the top spot in the 2024-25 world rankings in what was the fourth-fastest time of his career.

Popovici has been as fast as 1:42.97, done at the 2022 European Championships, and he also clocked 1:43.13 last summer en route to winning a repeat European title. He also won 2024 Olympic gold in Paris in a time of 1:44.72.

On the final night of competition, Popovici had an even more impressive performance in the 100 free, producing the second-fastest swim in history with a time of 46.71, breaking his own European and Romanian Record of 46.86 while breaking the 47-second barrier for the fourth time.

Popovici's previous PB of 46.86 ranked as the third-fastest swim ever, but with his performance at U23 Euros, he overtook Pan Zhanle's time of 46.80 from the 2024 World Championships, only trailing Pan's world record of 46.40 from the Paris Olympics.

All-Time Performances, Men's 100 Freestyle (LCM)

1. Pan Zhanle (CHN) – 46.40 (2024)
2. David Popovici (ROU) — 46.71 (2025)
3. Pan Zhanle (CHN) – 46.80 (2024)
4. David Popovici (ROU) – 46.86 (2022)
5. David Popovici (ROU) – 46.88 (2024)
6. Cesar Cielo (BRA) – 46.91 (2009)
7. Pan Zhanle (CHN) – 46.92 (2024)
8. Alain Bernard (FRA) – 46.94 (2009)
9. Caeleb Dressel (USA) – 46.96 (2019)
10. Pan Zhanle (CHN) – 46.97 (2023)

Popovici also made history with his back-half split of 23.98 (out in 22.73), which marks the first sub-24 second 50 in the 100 freestyle in history—though he did close in 23.94 during a relay split at the 2024 Euros.

Poland emerged atop the medal table at the conclusion of the three-day meet, winning five gold, four silver and two bronze medals for 11 total, marking the first time the country finished atop the standings at a European continental championship.

You can find full meet coverage here.

Trio of European Junior Records Fall As Brits Top Medal Table At Euro Juniors

Last week's European Junior Championships saw a number of meet records fall by the wayside while three European Junior Records went down over six days of racing in Samorin, Slovakia.

Great Britain topped the medal table with nine gold and 19 total medals, and it's fitting that the Brits also had ownership of two of the three European Junior Records broken.

In the boys' 200 breast, Filip Nowacki first broke the European Junior and Championship Record in semis, clocking 2:09.11, and then reset that mark all the way down to 2:08.32 in the final. The 17-year-old took down the former European Junior Record of 2:09.64 and the old Championship Record of 2:10.79, both held by Russian Anton Chupkov.

In the 4x100 mixed medley relay, Great Britain's quartet of Blythe Kinsman, Nowacki, Dean Fearn, and Theodora Taylor combined for a time of 3:47.07 to break Russia's European Junior Record of 3:47.99 set in 2018. Nowacki split 59.25 on breast, which was the key difference-maker compared to the Russian team's splits.

Nowacki also won individual gold in the 100 breast (59.59) and was the silver medalist in the 50 breast (27.25), while he added another gold medal as the Brits won the boys' 4x100 medley relay.

Also breaking a European Junior Record were the Italian girls in the 4x200 free relay, as Lucrezia Domina, Bianca Nannucci, Chiara Sama and Alessandra Mao clocked 7:56.06 to win a dominant gold medal by six seconds and crack Russia's European Junior Record of 7:57.33 set in 2017.

In addition to Nowacki's breaststroke double, other multi-event winners individually were Lithuania's Tajus Juska in the boys' 50 free, 100 free and 100 fly, Turkey's Kuzey Tuncelli in the boys' 800 and 1500 free, Russia's (competing as a neutral athlete) Sofia Diakova in the girls' 400 and 800 free, Lithuania's Smilte Plytnykaite in the girls' 50 and 100 breast, and Great Britain's Amalie Smith in the girls' 200 and 400 IM.

Find full meet coverage here.

Penny Oleksiak Withdraws From Worlds Due To Whereabouts Case

Seven-time Canadian Olympic medalist Penny Oleksiak has withdrawn from the 2025 World Championships due to a whereabouts case.

Oleksiak and Swimming Canada both made statements on Friday announcing her withdrawal from the upcoming championships and noting that the case stems from an administrative error on Oleksiak's ends and not any banned substances.

Oleksiak wrote on social media:

"I wanted to confirm that I am involved in a Whereabouts case with World Aquatics that’s still in the preliminary stages.

"I want to emphasize that this Whereabouts case does not involve any banned substance; it’s about whether I updated my information correctly.

"Out of respect for Swimming Canada, my fellow racers and clean sport, I have decided not to compete at the 2025 World Aquatics Championships.

"I am and always have been a clean athlete and will be making no further comment at this time."

Swimming Canada said: “We support her decision and believe she is a clean athlete who made an administrative mistake.”

A Whereabouts case is an anti-doping rule violation that can affect athlete's eligibility even if they have never taken a banned substance. The World Anti-Doping Code defines a Whereabouts failure as any combination of three missed tests or filing failures in a 12-month period.

The 25-year-old Oleksiak is a three-time Canadian Olympian who has won nine medals at the LC World Championships over the course of her career.

At last month's Canadian Swimming Trials in Victoria, she won the women's 50 free (24.89) and 100 free (54.03) to qualify for the 2025 Worlds in Singapore.

Read more here.

QUICK HITS

• The U.S. Department of Education announced July 1 that the University of Pennsylvania has entered into a Resolution Agreement to address Title IX compliance, which includes the school erasing Lia Thomas' marks from the school's record book.
• Ayden Tan broke his second National Age Group Record in two weeks at the GO Challenge in Fresno, clocking 2:12.80 in the LCM 200 IM to crack the boys' 11-12 NAG of 2:13.59 set by Richard Poplawski in 2019.
• Australian Olympic gold medalist Lani Pallister recently revealed in an episode of the Unfiltered Waters podcast that she had previously committed to the University of Florida but was notified by the NCAA during the Paris Olympics that she was ineligible.
• The IOC, led by new president Kirsty Coventry, has announced a pause of the current Olympic host city selection process.
• Ned and Carol Spieker have committed $26 million to endow Cal’s men's swimming and diving program as well as the men’s water polo team, making the largest donation to athletics in school history.
• 2024 U.S. Olympian Aaron Shackell has announced his commitment to Indiana after previously spending time at Texas early in the 2024-25 season.
• Longtime Schroeder YMCA head coach Dave Anderson has announced his retirement at the conclusion of the 2024-25 season, having spent over 30 years coaching the program. Schroeder YMCA Swimming will have three coaches leading it next season: Caleb Hernday, Chandler Lewis and Phil Davies.
• The NCAA will allow Designated Student-Athletes—those who were cut from their NCAA teams because of new roster limits—to enter the transfer portal from July 7-August 5, 2025.

David Popovici Swims 46.71 100 Free, #2 Performance All-Time, First-Ever Sub-24 Backhalf

Great Britain Tops Final Medal Table At 2025 European Junior Championships

Penny Oleksiak Withdraws From 2025 World Championships Due to Whereabouts Case

Ayden Tan Breaks 11-12 National Age Group Record in 200 Meter IM

Penn Erases Lia Thomas’ School Records, Reaches Title IX Resolution With Trump Administration

Olympic Gold Medalist Lani Pallister Had Committed To Florida But Was Not NCAA Eligible