Latest news with #DavidPopovici
Forbes
01-08-2025
- Sport
- Forbes
Jack Alexy Breaks Dressel's 100 Free American Record At 2025 Worlds
Jack Alexy has shattered Caeleb Dressel's 100 freestyle American record at the 2025 World Aquatics Championships in Singapore during the semifinals, a record that had stood since 2019. The 22-year-old ripped a 46.81 to break Dressel's 46.96. That time also makes him the third-fastest performer in history in the event. Dressel set the previous American record of 46.96 at the 2019 World Championships in Gwangju, Korea, where he won gold. He went on to win gold in the 100 freestyle at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics and is considered one of the greatest sprinters in U.S. history. In total, he has nine Olympic gold medals and one silver. He earned one of his golds in the 400 freestyle relay alongside Alexy in Paris. Alexy's previous personal best of 46.99, set at the 2025 U.S. National Championships in June, was the U.S. Open Record. That swim made him only the sixth man ever to go sub-47 in the 100 freestyle. Following close behind during the semifinals in Singapore was Romania's David Popovici, who posted a 46.84. The two battled in the final, with Popovici capturing gold and recording the second-fastest performance in history and a new European record with his time of 46.51. Alexy secured the silver medal in 46.92. Kyle Chalmers of Australia won bronze with a time of 47.17. The only person to go faster than Popovici's 46.51 is world record holder Pan Zhanle of China, who posted a time of 46.40 at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games to win gold. In Singapore, Zhanle's time of 47.81 in the semifinals was not enough to advance to the final. Popovici also won the 200 freestyle at the championships with a time of 1:43.53, the same event he won at the Paris Games last year. He finished ahead of American swimmer Luke Hobson, who took silver in 1:43.84. Who Is Jack Alexy? Alexy is originally from Morristown, New Jersey. He attended Delbarton School, where he won state titles in the 50 and 100 freestyle events. Alexy broke Caeleb Dressel's National Age Group record (17-18) with a time of 48.69 at the 2021 U.S. Olympic Trials, beating Dressel's previous mark of 48.78 set in 2015 during the U.S. Summer Nationals. He swam collegiately at the University of California, Berkeley, where he was a senior for the 2024-2025 season. Alexy is a two-time NCAA champion, winning the 800 freestyle relay in both 2024 and 2025. He also helped Cal win back-to-back NCAA team titles in 2022 and 2023. Alexy was also a three-time ACC champion in 2025, winning titles in the 100 freestyle, 200 medley relay and 800 freestyle relay. He was previously a four-time Pac-12 champion, capturing the 200 and 400 freestyle relay titles in both 2022 and 2023. Alexy comes from a family of athletes. His grandfather, Bill Ebben, played in the NBA for the Detroit Pistons during the 1957–58 season. His mother, Lynn Ebben, was a guard for the Notre Dame women's basketball team in the 1980s and helped the program win two conference titles. Alexy's brother, Rob, also swam for Cal, and his sister, Kate, swam for Kenyon College.
CNA
01-08-2025
- Sport
- CNA
Swimmers set new competition records at World Aquatics Championships
Swimmers set new competition records at World Aquatics Championships By CNA/Wallace Woon Canadian swimmer Summer McIntosh set a new competition record in the women's 200m butterfly on Thursday (Jul 31) evening. The 18-year-old led her race from start to end, taking home her third gold of the championships. She finished with a time of 2 minutes 1.99 seconds, missing the world record by less than two-tenths of a second. Romanian swimmer David Popovici also set a new competition record the same day, in the men's 100m freestyle finals. Popovici, the current Olympic champion, finished in 46.51 seconds to earn his second gold medal of the championships. All eyes were on French swimmer Leon Marchand in his 200m men's individual medley finals, after he set a world record in the semi-finals the previous day. Marchand won his race with a timing of 1 minute 53.68 seconds, under a second shy of his record. Next Story
Japan Times
01-08-2025
- Sport
- Japan Times
Summer McIntosh and Leon Marchand outpace rivals at world championships
Summer McIntosh came within a whisker of breaking a long-standing world record, and Leon Marchand failed to improve on a new mark he set just a night earlier, but both young guns won gold medals at the world championships in Singapore on Thursday. Romania's David Popovici also flirted with a record on Day 5 at the World Aquatics Championships Arena, with the 20-year-old claiming a thrilling 100-meter freestyle gold to go with the 200 crown he won on Day 3. The 200 butterfly world record of 2 minutes, 01.81 seconds set by China's Liu Zige in 2009 is the last surviving mark from the supersuit era in women's swimming — and McIntosh all but took it down. She stormed to her third individual gold medal of the meet in 2:01.99, the second-fastest swim of all time and a yawning three seconds better than American silver medalist Regan Smith. Having made the last turn under world record pace, the Canadian 18-year-old slowed down slightly coming home and shouted an expletive when she spied the clock. "I know that I messed up the last 15 meters of my race," she said. "Overall, happy with the time and a PB (personal best), but I didn't reach my goal tonight." China's 12-year-old marvel Yu Zidi finished just off the podium again having also placed fourth in the 200 individual medley. McIntosh can console herself in the knowledge that her bid for five individual titles remains intact, with the 400 IM and a hugely anticipated showdown with American great Katie Ledecky in the 800 freestyle still to come. Only Michael Phelps has won five individual golds at a world championships. Marchand, dubbed the "French Phelps," celebrated a world record on Wednesday when he blitzed the long-standing 200 IM mark of Ryan Lochte with an incredible swim of 1:52.69 in the semifinals. With victory seemingly assured in the final, the only suspense was whether Marchand might reset his world record from the previous night, but he ended up nearly a second short, with a time of 1:53.68. It was still the second-fastest swim ever and led to a dominant win by 0.62 seconds ahead of American Shaine Casas and Hungarian Hubert Kos. Marchand said the record may have taken a bit out of him, but he was hardly complaining. "I felt so excited yesterday that I couldn't sleep," he said. "So I think I lost a lot of energy yesterday night, but it was my goal to break the record, so I was really happy with it." Popovici then emerged as the winner of a sensational men's 100 freestyle final, clocking 46.51 seconds to give Pan Zhanle's world record (46.40) a big scare. American runner-up Jack Alexy also broke the 47-second barrier (46.92), while Paris Games silver medalist Kyle Chalmers took the bronze for Australia. At 20, Popovici, the 200 Olympic champion, has already completed the 100-200 sweep twice at the world championships, having done the double in Budapest three years ago. The relaxed Romanian said he had reached a higher plane; no longer worried about winning or losing. "I just feel very relieved that this huge pressure of being afraid of winning or losing is off me," he said. "I don't mean it in an arrogant way, I mean it in a self-maturing way." The United States celebrated its fourth gold of the meet as Katharine Berkoff won the 50 backstroke in 27.08 seconds, edging compatriot Smith. In the finale of Thursday's action, Australia's women clinched a second relay gold as Mollie O'Callaghan held off Ledecky in a thrilling final leg to guide her 4x200 freestyle relay team over the finish line. Australia also won the men's and women's 4x100 freestyle golds on Sunday.
The Guardian
01-08-2025
- Sport
- The Guardian
Summer McIntosh wins third gold of swimming worlds as Marchand dazzles
Summer McIntosh came within a whisker of breaking a long-standing world record and Léon Marchand failed to improve on a new mark he set just a night earlier, but both young guns won gold medals at the world championships in Singapore on Thursday. Romania's David Popovici also flirted with a record on day five at the World Aquatics Championships Arena, the 20-year-old claiming a thrilling 100 metres freestyle gold to go with his 200 crown on day three. The 200 butterfly world record of 2:01.81 set by China's Liu Zige in 2009 is the last surviving mark from the supersuit era in women's swimming – and McIntosh all but took it down. The schedule The swimming portion of the World Aquatics Championships takes place from 27 July through 3 August at the Singapore Sports Hub. The heats start at 10am local time (2am GMT, 10pm ET). The semi-finals and finals start at 7pm local time (11am GMT, 7am ET). The full schedule is available in PDF format or on the World Aquatics website. How to watch In the United States, coverage will be available on NBC and streaming service Peacock. In the United Kingdom, Aquatics GB holds the UK rights to stream events. In Australia, the Nine Network will provide broadcast coverage throughout the championships. In Canada, events will be broadcast live on CBC, with streaming options via CBC digital platforms. For other countries and full international broadcast listings, visit the World Aquatics broadcast page. Additionally, the World Aquatics Recast channel will re-air all sessions of the meet, heats and finals for a fee. She stormed to her third individual gold medal of the meet in 2:01.99, the second-fastest swim of all time and a yawning three seconds better than American silver medallist Regan Smith. Having made the last turn under world record pace the Canadian 18-year-old flagged slightly coming home and shouted an expletive when she spied the clock. 'I know that I messed up the last 15 metres of my race,' she said. 'Overall, happy with the time and a PB, but I didn't reach my goal tonight.' 3 races, 3 GOLDS for Summer McIntosh after a win in the 200m butterfly.📺: Peacock | #AQUASingapore25 China's 12-year-old marvel Yu Zidi finished just off the podium again having also placed fourth in the 200 IM. McIntosh might console herself in the knowledge that her bid for five individual titles remains intact, with the 400 IM and a hugely anticipated showdown with American great Katie Ledecky in the 800 freestyle still to come. Only Michael Phelps has won five individual golds at a world championships. Marchand, dubbed the French Phelps", celebrated a world record on Wednesday when he blitzed the long-standing 200 IM mark of Ryan Lochte with an incredible swim of 1:52.69 in the semi-finals. With victory seemingly assured in the final the only suspense was whether Marchand might reset his world record from the previous night but he ended up nearly a second short, with a time of 1:53.68. It was still the second fastest swim ever and led to a dominant win by 0.62 seconds ahead of American Shaine Casas and Hungarian Hubert Kos. Marchand said the record may have taken a bit out of him but he was hardly complaining. 'I felt so excited yesterday that I couldn't sleep,' he said. 'So I think I lost a lot of energy yesterday night, but it was my goal to break the record, so I was really happy with it.' Popovici then emerged the winner of a sensational men's 100 freestyle final, clocking 46.51 to give Pan Zhanle's world record (46.40) a big scare. American runner-up Jack Alexy also broke the 47-second barrier (46.92), while Paris Games silver medallist Kyle Chalmers took the bronze for Australia. At 20, 200 Olympic champion Popovici has already completed the 100-200 sweep twice at world championships, having done the double at Budapest three years ago. The relaxed Romanian said he had reached a higher plain; no longer worried about winning or losing. 'I just feel very relieved that this huge pressure of being afraid of winning or losing is off me,' he said. 'I don't mean it in an arrogant way, I mean it in a self-maturing way.' The United States celebrated a fourth gold in the meet as Katharine Berkoff won the 50 backstroke in 27.08 seconds, edging compatriot Smith. In the finale of Thursday's programme, Australia's women clinched a second relay gold as Mollie O'Callaghan held off Ledecky in a thrilling final leg to guide her 4x200 freestyle relay team over the finish line. Australia also won the men's and women's 4x100 freestyle golds on Sunday. O'Callaghan, whose 11th gold tied her with Ian Thorpe as the most successful Australian at the world championships, will now look to add the 100 freestyle title to her 200 crown on Friday. Medals will also be decided in the men's 200 breaststroke, 200 backstroke and 4x200 freestyle relay, as well as the women's 200 breaststroke.
Khaleej Times
31-07-2025
- Sport
- Khaleej Times
McIntosh and Marchand dazzle for gold at world championships
Summer McIntosh came within a whisker of breaking a long-standing world record and Leon Marchand failed to improve on a new mark he set just a night earlier, but both young guns won gold medals at the world championships in Singapore on Thursday. Romania's David Popovici also flirted with a record on day five at the World Aquatics Championships Arena, the 20-year-old claiming a thrilling 100 metres freestyle gold to go with his 200 crown on day three. The 200 butterfly world record of 2:01.81 set by China's Liu Zige in 2009 is the last surviving mark from the supersuit era in women's swimming -- and McIntosh all but took it down. She stormed to her third individual gold medal of the meet in 2:01.99, the second-fastest swim of all time and a yawning three seconds better than American silver medallist Regan Smith. Having made the last turn under world record pace the Canadian 18-year-old flagged slightly coming home and shouted an expletive when she spied the clock. "I know that I messed up the last 15 metres of my race," she said. "Overall, happy with the time and a PB, but I didn't reach my goal tonight." China's 12-year-old marvel Yu Zidi finished just off the podium again having also placed fourth in the 200 IM. McIntosh might console herself in the knowledge that her bid for five individual titles remains intact, with the 400 IM and a hugely anticipated showdown with American great Katie Ledecky in the 800 freestyle still to come. Only Michael Phelps has won five individual golds at a world championships. Marchand, dubbed the "French Phelps", celebrated a world record on Wednesday when he blitzed the long-standing 200 IM mark of Ryan Lochte with an incredible swim of 1:52.69 in the semifinals. With victory seemingly assured in the final the only suspense was whether Marchand might reset his world record from the previous night but he ended up nearly a second short, with a time of 1:53.68. It was still the second fastest swim ever and led to a dominant win by 0.62 seconds ahead of American Shaine Casas and Hungarian Hubert Kos. Marchand said the record may have taken a bit out of him but he was hardly complaining. "I felt so excited yesterday that I couldn't sleep," he said. "So I think I lost a lot of energy yesterday night, but it was my goal to break the record, so I was really happy with it." Popovici then emerged the winner of a sensational men's 100 freestyle final, clocking 46.51 to give Pan Zhanle's world record (46.40) a big scare. American runner-up Jack Alexy also broke the 47-second barrier (46.92), while Paris Games silver medallist Kyle Chalmers took the bronze for Australia. At 20, 200 Olympic champion Popovici has already completed the 100-200 sweep twice at world championships, having done the double at Budapest three years ago. The relaxed Romanian said he had reached a higher plain; no longer worried about winning or losing. "I just feel very relieved that this huge pressure of being afraid of winning or losing is off me," he said. "I don't mean it in an arrogant way, I mean it in a self-maturing way." The United States celebrated a fourth gold in the meet as Katharine Berkoff won the 50 backstroke in 27.08 seconds, edging compatriot Smith. In the finale of Thursday's programme, Australia's women clinched a second relay gold as Mollie O'Callaghan held off Ledecky in a thrilling final leg to guide her 4x200 freestyle relay team over the finish line. Australia also won the men's and women's 4x100 freestyle golds on Sunday. O'Callaghan, whose 11th gold tied her with Ian Thorpe as the most successful Australian at the world championships, will now look to add the 100 freestyle title to her 200 crown on Friday. Medals will also be decided in the men's 200 breaststroke, 200 backstroke and 4x200 freestyle relay, as well as the women's 200 breaststroke.
