David Popovici Not In Restful Mood; Something to Learn At World Junior Championships in Peru
It’s already been a hectic summer for David Popovici, the 17-year-old Romanian star who just set a world record in the 100-meter freestyle at the European Championships in Rome. This summer, Popovici has competed at the World Championships in Budapest, the European Junior Championships in his homeland and the Euro Champs.
Now, Popovici is set for the final junior-level competition of his career.
Popovici is the focal point of the Romanian delegation that just left for Lima, Peru, which is the site of upcoming FINA World Junior Championships (Aug. 30-Sept. 4). Popovici is scheduled to race the 100 freestyle and 200 freestyle, events in which he garnered senior-level world titles just two months ago. In those events, Popovici is coming off a 46.86 world-record clocking in the 100 freestyle and a 1:42.97 effort in the 200 freestyle, the No. 3 performance in history.
For Popovici, one of the main aspects of the meet will be adjusting to a major time-zone change, as there is an eight-hour difference between Lima and Bucharest, Romania. Popovici is also putting his body through another physical test, while staying focused for four significant meets in the span of a few months will ensure Popovici is mentally tested, too.
“When I went to the Olympics (in Tokyo), it affected me a little,” Popovici said of the time-zone change. “I needed several days to adapt and now it may be even harder. I don’t know how they will affect me. At worst, I’ll be more tired, but there’s no problem we can’t find a solution to.”