David Popovici enrolled last year at the Faculty of Psychology, within the University of Bucharest, the decision being heavily publicized, the swimmer being invited to the opening ceremony, where he gave a speech in front of his colleagues.
David Popovici is thinking about the Olympic Games in Paris. Photo EPA EFE
But the champion needs more time for training, especially since in the summer he will participate in the Olympic Games in Paris, a competition that will start on July 26. So he decided to freeze his first year at the Faculty of Psychology, after only a few months of classes.
In this way, he escapes the period of session and exams, which would have been very demanding. Last year, he also attributed the series of poor results to the demanding schedule caused by taking the Baccalaureate, a school exam he passed with flying colors in the summer of 2023. His resignation is temporary, the Romanian star intending to resume his classes in the fall , according to Fanatik.
Between June 17-23, David Popovici will have the last rehearsal before the Olympic Games, after which he will perform at the European Championship in Belgrade. This month, the swimmer won gold in the 50m freestyle, 100m freestyle, 200m freestyle and 400m freestyle at the National Senior 50m Swimming Championships. At the Olympics, David Popovici will compete in the 100 meters and 200 meters freestyle.
Years of training for a few minutes of competition
The Romanian champion spoke to TVR about how he expects the preparation period for the competition in the French capital to be, saying that he is trying to adopt as relaxed an attitude as possible, despite the fact that it is the Olympic Games. “I try not to think about it so much, because even though, yes, it’s the Olympics, it’s a much bigger competition, with a lot more rivals, the best in the world, in the end it’s just that.
It’s a competition. I mean, it’s not something I haven’t done before. There are only 4 days of competition, and for me a few minutes. I mean I train for years and years to swim how much? Five minutes over four days! As Usain Bolt also said: I trained for 4 years to run 9.58 seconds”. said David Popovici.
