David Popovici claims silver in 50m freestyle at Rome's Sette Colli, breaks his own national record

The final

David Popovici touched in 21.82 seconds in the men's 50m freestyle final on Friday evening, good for silver at the 62nd Trofeo Settecolli. Brazil's Guilherme Santos Caribe took gold in 21.46, while Italian Leonardo Deplano claimed bronze with 21.90. Popovici's time shaved a hundredth off his previous Romanian record of 21.83, set at the 2025 national championships in Otopeni.

Popovici later said the short sprint is not a prime target. "It's not a competition we've trained especially to taper for, it's advanced training for the European Championships in August," he told reporters. "I want the times to be as good as possible."

Morning heats

Earlier in the day, Popovici won the seventh preliminary heat with 21.92 seconds, matching the time of Croatia's Jere Hribar. The pair's mark was the second-fastest of the morning session, behind Santos Caribe's 21.77. The Romanian advanced to the final as the number-two seed.

Return to Rome

Popovici has a strong history at the Foro Italico. At the 2022 Sette Colli he set a world record in the 100m freestyle, and five years ago he secured his Olympic qualifying spot for Tokyo at the same venue. "Whenever I've been to Rome I've had good races, really good ones. Beyond how it looks, the atmosphere the Italian crowd brings is something special, and it makes me happy that many family members can come," he said before the meet. He also received a private audience with Pope Leo XIV ahead of the competition.

What comes next

Popovici is entered in the 100m freestyle on Saturday and the 200m freestyle on Sunday. The Sette Colli is his first competition of 2026 and a key test before the European Championships in Paris, scheduled for 10–16 August. Other Romanians in the water include Denis Popescu, who placed eighth in the B final of the 100m butterfly (52.74), and Eric Andrieş, who finished 17th in the 400m freestyle (3:55.17).