Romanian swimmer David Popovici said on Wednesday, after winning his third consecutive European title in the 100m freestyle in Paris, that he was proud of the achievement, particularly as it came in a very fast race, with times faster than at the Olympic Games.

'It was a very, very close race. Times were faster than at almost any edition of the past Olympic Games. I am glad that European swimming has reached such a high level, and congratulations to all my opponents because we all pushed extremely hard. Personally, I am happy that I succeeded in defending my title. In general, it is a little easier to chase a title than to defend it, so I am all the more proud of myself for defending it. I put a certain amount of pressure on myself to retain my European champion title, which I have now defended at three consecutive editions,' Popovici said.

'On the final 25 meters, I felt that I had to overtake the Russian. I knew he was better than me over the first half of the race; that was clear. I knew I had to stay calm and not swim in a panic, because that only slows you down. Survival swimming consumes much more energy. So I just stuck to my race and made up ground on the final stretch. Now I have to work on combining a fast first half and a good start with the second half, where I come on strong, the way I know to do it. I will continue to have this hunger, but I will shift my priorities a little,' the Romanian champion detailed.

Popovici said he would have liked to set a world record, but is confident it will come: '(...) The world record has to come naturally, organically, not just because I want it. Now that I know exactly what I still have to work on, I am even closer to it.'

Russian swimmer Egor Kornev, who led during the first half of the race, congratulated Popovici on his performance.

'Of course, the Russian congratulated me. I get along well with him, even though he doesn't speak English; we manage to understand each other. I congratulated him as well; he is a worthy opponent. I think it is the fastest split in history over the first half of a 100-meter race. But the 100 meters has two lengths. Now I want to win a sixth title as well. Joke aside, I am extremely happy, and it confirms to me that we are doing things the right way. I have no reason to change my training philosophy or my approach to swimming. As long as I am good with myself, I can achieve great things, and that is very important. The most important thing is to stay healthy in the head,' David Popovici said.

Regarding the 200m freestyle race, Popovici appeared more relaxed until Friday, when he knows he will once again give it his all: 'Tomorrow I just need to qualify for the 200m semifinals, then for the final. It certainly won't be as close a competition as the 100m, where something extraordinary happened and we all swam extremely well. But that doesn't mean I can take it easy. Tomorrow won't be an easy day, but it's not a day when I don't have to give 100%. The 100% will come the day after tomorrow, in the final.'

Romanian swimmer David Popovici, an Olympic, world and European champion, won the gold medal in the 100m freestyle on Wednesday evening at the European Aquatics Championships in Paris, setting a new championship record of 46.56 seconds.

Popovici, who was second after the first length of the pool, was followed in the final standings by Russia's Egor Kornev, in 46.74, and Hungary's Kristóf Milák, in 46.87.

Popovici improved the championship record of 46.72 seconds that he had set in Tuesday's semifinals.

This is David Popovici's third consecutive European title in the 100m freestyle, following his victories in 2022 and 2024.

Popovici will also compete in the 200m freestyle, with the heats scheduled for Thursday at 10:59 a.m. Romania time. AGERPRES (RO - writing by: Adrian Tone; EN - writing by: Simona Klodnischi)