David Popovici Paris Bound With A Touch Of Thorpey, A Hint Of Hoogie, A Pinch Of Phelps In His Preparation & Process
From the SOS+ Archive, Budapest 2022: When Ian Thorpe, the Pope of 200m freestyle swimming, honoured a promise to 17-year-old David Popovici to show up and hand him the gold medal should he win the World title at 17 here in Budapest this week, it felt like nothing short of
From the SOS+ Archive, Budapest 2022: When Ian Thorpe, the Pope of 200m freestyle swimming, honoured a promise to 17-year-old David Popovici to show up and hand him the gold medal should he win the World title at 17 here in Budapest this week, it felt like nothing short of an anointment.
Hail the next Thorpedo, perhaps the next Eindhoven Express, AKA Pieter Van Den Hoogenband, and all that with a touch of Michael Phelps in the mix when it comes to 200m free potential and, after he became the first to lift the 100-200 double at World titles tonight at the Duna Arena, what that might mean for the Team Popovici Plan to upset the ‘pure-sprinter’ apple cart and the art of rocketing out and hanging as opposed to clinging on and rocketing home.
Each one of the Race of the Century Trio from Athens 2004 would end their careers an Olympic 200m freestyle champion. Only Hoogie made the 100-200 double. Where will Popovici’s path take him? Could we ever imagine a new Race of the Century featuring Popovici, Kristof Milak and Leon Marchand (or A. Another)?
