Two-time world and European champion (100 and 200 m freestyle) and record holder at the distance of 100 m freestyle Davyd Popovichi will swim for the first time among seniors at the national championship in Otopeni (April 5-9). In an interview with the Spanish publication AS, the 18-year-old athlete talked about how he wants to leave his mark in world swimming.

Know:

• David Popovici will make his national championship debut on Wednesday in the 50m freestyle, followed by the 50m butterfly the following day. He starts in six individual competitions.

• At the 2022 Olympic Swimming Championships, Popovici won the 50m, 100m, 200m and 400m freestyle titles.

• David Popovich won 14 medals, including 11 golds, in the five major events he competed in in 2022.

David Popovichi, the best swimmer in the world at only 18 years old

“These successes came to me early. Everything that happened at the World Cup was surprising, but I think I’m handling the situation well. My life is normal. He is a teenager who wants to finish high school, who has exams, who enjoys a normal social life… Although I don’t have much time either, it’s true.

I was lazy (not when I was little) but because I was talented. Talent can only work until the age of 12, so I was lazy. I didn’t want to do anything in practice, I was looking for excuses to get out of meetings or something. Then at competitions I reached the podiums, but only because I was talented. It helps you to some extent.

When I was 12 years old, I missed the podium at a competition. It was strange, this had never happened to me. I realized that I have to work. So I started training hard. My coach, Adrian (Redulescu), talked to me about hard work and the power of swimming to achieve results” – Davyd Popovych.

David Popovich and the philosophy of the Stoics: “You must always be calm”

“I don’t consider concentration a secret, it’s just one of the success factors. I have always been a calm person who is 100% focused on what he is doing. This is something my coach instilled in me through stoic philosophy. You must be calm at all times of life. I have no reason to stress. An example is racing. If the training is done well, I don’t have to feel emotions before the competition.

I am a result or product of how I was raised. My parents taught me that sports is not a game of life and death or between good and evil. The difference is in tenths of a second. It doesn’t matter if you lose because it’s part of the process. You must be balanced if you win a lot or lose all the time. You shouldn’t get excited about victories or be sad about defeats. There will be all kinds of moments.

I try to bring out the best in people. My parents taught me to respect everyone and be grateful. I understand that there is pressure, toxic people, and other dangers, but I focus on the good in people. I don’t want to take revenge or have a bad opinion about anyone. That’s all.” – Davyd Popovych.

Last read book by David Popovich

“I don’t really know the types of books, but if I start one and I like it, I finish it. The last thing I read was “Man’s Search for the Meaning of Life” by Viktor Frankl, an Auschwitz prisoner who was a psychologist.

I was fascinated by the way he described everything that happened there, but apart from that he gave me an interesting perspective from a psychological point of view. This is a book that helped me a lot and gave me knowledge.

I am currently reading another book about personality. If you have great principles and moral values, you can be a wonderful and very balanced person” – Davyd Popovych.

David Popovich’s childhood and his parents’ sacrifices

“My parents made many sacrifices. They had to spend money to accompany me to competitions when I left Romania, or they had to get up early every morning to make sure I didn’t miss anything. It is not an expensive sport, but it is not cheap either.

They made an effort. But the most pleasant thing is that I was not pressured. They never forced me, they allowed me to be and do. It’s great to have parents like that.

I was a normal child, spent a lot of time with my parents and swam. I have always led a healthy lifestyle, always appreciated sports. I knew it could bring me joy in the future. I had a lot of energy, so my parents chose swimming. It only helped me a little because I was already very active” – Davyd Popovych.

Offers from the USA and the choice to stay in Romania

“I have everything I want here and my life is balanced. Maybe one day I will be able to decide, there are always many doors that open both there and in other countries, but I want to be here with my parents, with my coach and build the future together.

Bucharest is a unique city, although it has many contrasts. There are buildings that are crumbling, while others are architecturally incredible. I love it. I like to take my bike and ride the streets when the weather is nice, I’m sure I will after the interview. Maybe it can be a bit noisy at times.

I want to popularize sports culture. When I visited Australia, what I liked most was the way sport was perceived, how it permeated the streets: baseball, football, swimming… People played sports with their animals. I’d like to see it here too” – Davyd Popovych.

David Popovich’s goal is to give maximum effort

“My goal is not to win, I don’t focus on that. I want to do my best. If I do that and prepare well, I will win. Medals are a bonus, but the main thing is to be ready, to have good training plans.

My goal is the World Cup and then the (Olympic) Games, but in short, I can say that my goal is to show my best, and if that happens, I will definitely win.

It’s very boring, I don’t have much time (to watch other swimmers). I always watched swimming on TV, like Michael Phelps at the 2008 Games. When I was little, I tried to do the same thing he did, but I never did. I try to take little things from swimmers whom I respect in order to learn and become better” – Davyd Popovych.

100 or 200 meter freestyle?

“These are very different samples. I feel better at 200 because it’s more tactical, you have to think more. I like the challenge because it’s a challenge to plan.

We will train, and then we will see when I can include 400 meters in the program. When I’m ready, I’ll seriously swim the 400″ – Davyd Popovych.

David Popovich wants to sail against the best opponents

“In Budapest, (Caleb Dressel) was out after the first few days and (Kyle) Chalmers had a shoulder problem. It is important that the best are there, even if you lose to them once or twice, but for growth it is better that everything is more competitive” – Davyd Popovych.