World Swimming Championships: All the latest results, times and news from Budapest
Ian Thorpe knows what it takes to dominate swimming on the world stage. So when he declares someone is the next big thing – you better listen.
Ian Thorpe has anointed the European teenage swim sensation tipped to become the sport’s next global superstar after being blown away by seeing him capture his first world title.
Watching from the stands in Budapest, the Aussie legend was so impressed after seeing Romania’s David Popovici destroy his opponents to win the 200 metres freestyle final that he asked FINA to let him present the gold medal.
He got his wish so was face to face with him as he announced his arrival on the global stage with a dominant display eerily similar to the way Thorpe used to demolish his rivals - including winning his first world title at 15.
“I actually met him two days ago,” Popoovici told News Corp.
“I had the honour to meet him and we talked for a while and he said to me that if I win, he’s going to try and present the medal at the ceremony.
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“I don’t know if that was planned or not but he kept his promise and it was an honour to shake his hand being on top of the podium hearing my national anthem.”
Thorpe wasn’t the only one blown away by the 17-year-old sprint sensation.
Everyone - even his opponents - were gushing about his performance after he turned the final into a one-man race - winning in 1:43.21.
He obliterated his own world junior record and his time was faster than Thorpe’s best for 200m over his entire career but he now wants to pick the Aussie’s brain to learn how to go even faster.
“I’d love to talk to him some more and get some more insight,” Popovici said.
“He’s been in my place, or a bigger place than me breaking world records, at a young age so I know I have a lot to learn from him.”
Australia’s newly crowned 400m world champion Elijah Winnington finished eighth in the final after ditching the 800m to give himself a better chance of staying with Popovici but admitted he was unable to match his breathtaking speed.
“He’s an unbelievably talented swimmer,” Winnington said.
“What he’s got going for him at the moment is that he’s so young, he has his whole career ahead of him so he can just really do what he wants.
“He knows how to swim, that’s for sure. That’s an incredibly fast time and I’m going to go home not to watch my race, but to watch him do what he did.”
Popovici also holds the 100m junior world record, and made the final in both events at last year’s Tokyo Olympics without getting a medal.
That’s expected to change at Paris in 2024.
GREAT AMERICAN WARNED HER DAYS ARE NUMBERED
While Katie Ledecky’s domination of women’s long-distance swimming shows no sign yet of coming to an end, the two boom Aussies trying to reel her in are now convinced it will eventually happen.
Australia won another medal at the world swimming championships in Budapest overnight with rising long-distance star Lani Pallister collecting bronze in the women’s 1500m freestyle.
Inspired by racing against Ledecky for the second time this week, Pallister smashed her personal best time to finish third and get on the podium after she missed a medal in the 400m final by just 0.08sec on the weekend.
“I don’t love the 1500m. It’s definitely not my favourite event, but it’s something that I’m good at,” Pallister said.
“It’s an event that I could do something really special in the future.”
While Ariarne Titmus has Ledecky’s measure over the 400m, the American has never been beaten over 1500m and now holds the 13 fastest times in history.
Pallister finished more than 18 seconds behind her but said it was conceivable that someone would eventually catch Ledecky.
“There’s a lot of different athletes really pushing and Katie is the reason that we’re all swimming so well,” Pallister said.
“But I think everyone is beatable. Everyone is human and we’re not robots. Athletes definitely have off dates and that sort of thing but there’s nothing but testament to Katie, she’s an incredible athlete, incredible person.
“I don’t think anyone’s catching Katie for a while.”
Pallister’s Gold Coast training partner Moesha Johnson also posted a lifetime best to finish fourth in the final to show she’s up there with the very best after just missing out on the team for last year’s Tokyo Olympics.
And like her teammate, she remains in awe of what Ledecky has achieved in the sport but also thinks that her reign will inevitably come to an end one day.
“Obviously Katie, she’s still out there winning, but she’s set some times before that she’s not quite (reaching now),” Johnson said.
“So if we can all just keep chasing each other and keep pushing each other and just keep chasing that record that she set a while ago, maybe one day we’ll beat her.
“Whether it’s now or whether it’s in a couple of years time, ten years time, I think there’s gonna be someone out there who can do it.”
Pallister will again line up against Ledecky in the 800m while the versatile Johnson is turning her attention to next week’s open water competition.
The women’s 1500m is not on the program for next month’s Commonwealth Games but has been added to the schedule for the 2024 Olympics so both Australians are setting their sights on Paris after their strong showing in Hungary.
“We’ve got such a strong history in the men’s 1500m so for both of us, we have to work towards that as an Olympic event,” Johnson said.
THORPEDO CRUSHER HAS AUSSIE ON HIGH ALERT
Australia’s newest world swimming champion Elijah Winnington has pulled out of one of his races at the world championships to give himself a better chance against the teenage phenomenon who is smashing Ian Thorpe’s age group records.
Winnington — who produced an incredible performance to win the 400m freestyle — withdrew from the 800m heats in Budapest on Monday, but he has a good reason.
Although the Queenslander is in mint condition, the 800m is his weakest event and he wanted to save every ounce of energy for the 200m freestyle final — taking place overnight.
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Although he swam the fastest time of his life (1min45.53sec) in Sunday’s 200m semis to qualify fifth, Winnington knows he will need to go even quicker to get another gold because he’s up against the most exciting sprinter in the world.
Tipped to be swimming’s next mega star, Romanian teenager David Popovic qualified fastest in a sizzling time of 1min44.40sec — breaking the junior world record.
Just 17, Popovic is posting times that are two seconds quicker than Thorpe was at the same age and also holds the 100m junior world record which was once held by Kyle Chalmers.
Australia’s equivalent to Popovic is Mollie O’Callaghan, who is officially the fastest female sprinter in history, and chasing up to seven medals in Budapest.
The 18-year-old already has one gold after leading off the Australian 4x100m freestyle relay on Saturday and is eyeing a second in the l 200m freestyle — her first individual race.
Taking it relatively easy, she made a steady start on Monday — cruising into the semi-finals with the fifth fastest time overall — joining her relay teammate Madi Wilson, who qualified second.
China’s Yang Jungxuan was fastest but it’s considered a wide open race after Olympic champion Ariarne Titmus stayed at home and Hong Kong’s Siobhan Haughey scratched.
Golden sacrifice: McKeown’s spectacular switch explained
Australian swimming sensation Kaylee McKeown pocketed a surprise silver medal at the world championship on Sunday after swapping her best event for a newer and more difficult race.
The triple Olympic gold medallist was a last-minute withdrawal from the 100m backstroke – an event in which she holds the world record and is also the reigning Olympic champion – to focus all her energy on the final of the 200m medley.
Already an Australian champion in the multi-stroke event plus the backstroke events, McKeown is considering adding the medley to her program for the 2024 Paris Olympics, so is trying it at international level for the first time.
And despite potentially sacrificing a gold medal in the backstroke, she made a spectacular debut – nabbing the silver medal behind rising American star Alex Walsh.
“I wasn’t really expecting to come up and podium,” McKeown told News Corp.
“It was more just getting the international experience.
“Sadly I pulled out of this event at the Olympics to focus on the backstroke and I think this is the perfect refresher for the next three years, just taking the pressure off and it was really good mentally for me.
“At the start of this year I wasn’t even sure if I would be doing Worlds or Commonwealth Games because of my shoulder injury so I’m really proud of myself that I have managed to get here and gather the momentum to get on the podium in my first event.”
McKeown made the decision to pull out of the backstroke the night before the heats after consulting her personal coach Michael Bohl.
The pair agreed that the best way to see where she is at in the medley was to skip the backstroke and stay fresh for the world championship, but she will race it at next month’s Commonwealth Games.
“It’s obviously a big call but it’s about the long term development,” Australian head coach Rohan Taylor said.
“Basically she’ll feel more confident just putting all her eggs in the basket for that medley and going for that.
“Obviously at some point she’ll have to look at the double, that’s the reality but for now it’s just helping her just get used to it.
“The number one thing Bohly wants to do is give her international experience in that medley for an investment going forward.”
McKeown’s silver lifted Australia’s medal tally to four after two days, with the possibility of more to come on Monday after 400m champion Elijah Winnington qualified for the 200m final and Lani Pallister and Moesha Johnson advanced to the women’s 1500m final.
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