CNN
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Romanian teenager David Popovici set a world report within the 100-meter freestyle with a time of 46.86 seconds on the European championships in Rome on Saturday.
The 17-year-old broke the earlier report, set by Brazilian Cesar Cielo in 2009, by 0.05 seconds as he took gold forward of Hungary’s Kristof Milak and Italy’s Alessandro Miressi.
Popovici, who was topped world champion within the 100m and 200m freestyle earlier this 12 months, turns into the youngest world report holder within the 100m freestyle occasion.
“I wished to go as quick as potential and it appears to be like like I did it,” he instructed the BBC, calling himself a “skinny legend.”
“A fantasy now could be a forty five (second time),” he added. “Adam Peaty is a pioneer by way of the targets he set. For others it was science fiction, however not for him.”
British swimmer Peaty set himself the benchmark of turning into the primary man to swim the 100m breaststroke in underneath 57 seconds throughout his profession – a feat he achieved when he broke his personal report in 2019.
The prospect of a brand new 100m freestyle report regarded seemingly when Popovici broke the 47-second barrier for the primary time within the semifinals on Friday. After his record-breaking swim the next day, he was congratulated by Cielo.
“I knew today was coming… And it did! My 100m freestyle world report was damaged after 13 years!” Cielo wrote on Twitter.
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“Congratulations, Popovici! Glad to have had this enormous report for therefore lengthy!
“There may be the brand new quickest man on the earth within the 100 meters freestyle and he’s simply getting began!”
