It's three years since we saw David Popovici take down Cesar Cielo's shiny suited World record in the 100m free: Rome 2022 European seniors, 46.86. At Europe's new mid-point meet between juniors and seniors today, the Romanian Olympic 200m free champion, shaved his best back to 46.71 - a continental standard that is now all-time World No2.

Here's how Popovici's pounce unfolded on the last day of European Under-23s Championships in Slovakia:

Croatian teammates Jere Hribar and Toni Dragoja took the minor spoils in 48.33 and 48.67

The last day off action also witnessed another 7:38 from Sven Schwarz in the 800m free:

That followed his recent European record at Germany Championships:

Sven Schwarz Sets Euro Record 7:38.12 For German 800 Crown As Berkhahn’s Magdeburg Might Flexes Collective Muscle

No other swim program in the world has ever had four men racing 7:38, 7:39, 7:43 (with a career best 7:39) and 7:44 in one season over 800 free when backed up by two age-record- holding training partners waiting in the wings on 7:51.04 and 7:51.29

State Of Swimming +Craig Lord

All eyes, however, on Popovici this day. Coached by Adrian Rădulescu in Bucharest, he claimed Olympic bronze in the 100m free in Paris, where Pan Zhanle, of China set an off-the-chart World record of 46.40 as the only man go not only get inside 47 but claim Olympic 100m free gold by a margin of more than a second for the first time since Johnny Weissmuller in 1928.

He did so in extraordinary circumstances: the swim might have been even sharper, in the context of what happened to the rest of the field in a tank 2m deep and a wonderful Games at which the edge of speed in the pool was shaved back in tangible fashion by the aqua-dynamics at play.

It would be easy to then write 'no so for Pan' but we will never know what he might have slapped on the board things panned out in waters 3m deep. As it was, here's what happened, followed by my analysis of a swim that may well be explained by smart and hard work, but not alone:

Pan Went Where Marchand, McIntosh & McKeown Could Not: WR, 46.40 (By The Biggest Winning Margin Since Tarzan in 1928)

You have to go back to Johnny Weissmuller, Tarzan no less, in 1928 before to find a bigger winning margin than Pan’s

State Of Swimming +Craig Lord

Pandemonium In The Sprint Ranks: Dissecting An Inscrutable 46.40 - Part 1

In the tussle between those who roar out and hold on and those who hold fire and then spark when hunting down those who roar out, there had never been a swimmer capable of racing to the turn inside 22.5 and returning inside 24.5. There is one now - and how!

State Of Swimming +Craig Lord

Pandemonium In The Sprint Ranks: Dissecting An Inscrutable 46.40 - Part 2

The timewarp of the Paris 2024 100m freestyle: almost 100 years passed before we witnessed victory by more than a second; and almost 50 years passed before we witnessed a World 100m free record fall by 0.4 or more in an Olympic final - or at all

State Of Swimming +Craig Lord