'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,/9j/4AAQSkZJRgABAQAAAQABAAD/2wCEAAMDAwMDAwQEBAQFBQUFBQcHBgYHBwsICQgJCAsRCwwLCwwLEQ8SDw4PEg8bFRMTFRsfGhkaHyYiIiYwLTA+PlQBAwMDAwMDBAQEBAUFBQUFBwcGBgcHCwgJCAkICxELDAsLDAsRDxIPDg8SDxsVExMVGx8aGRofJiIiJjAtMD4+VP/AABEIAAUACgMBIgACEQEDEQH/xABkAAEBAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABwgQAAICAgIDAAAAAAAAAAAAAAECAwQABRFBBhIhAQEBAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABBhEAAQMDBAMAAAAAAAAAAAAAAQIDEQAEMQUSEyIyUaH/2gAMAwEAAhEDEQA/AM1bXyG7tdYKLpCtbRW609auVLQmaCP1DlCe+xktuwaaS7ZeTVQF2mcsV5UEk/eB0MYyj1Nlu1vihoFKeFsxJORJzQ/2tmFnyUXJPvaopHwV/9k='%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
David Popovici and Leon Marchand are the upcoming stars of swimming. They grabbed the world's attention with some jaw-dropping performances in recent times.
David has won numerous gold medals at the junior level and has also provided some top-notch performances at the senior level. Leon Marchand has also put up some impressive performances in his career. He has set several national and european records at just 20 years of age.
But between them, whose career so far is the most impressive? Let's discuss this below by taking a look at both their careers so far.
Trending
David Popovici's career so far
The Romanian swimmer was born in Bucharest and rose to the spotlight during the 2019 European Youth Summer Olympic Festival in Baku. He entered the international arena at the age of just 14 with the European Youth Summer Olympics, according to SwimSwam.
He competed in three events, namely the 50m freestyle, 100m freestyle, and 200m freestyle. David won the gold medal in the 100m freestyle by clocking a time of 49.82. The Romanian Swimmer then clinched a couple of silver medals in the 50m freestyle and 200m freestyle with a time of 23.03 and 1:50.93, respectively.
David Popovici then posted a personal best time in the 100m freestyle at the 2020 Romanian Championships, according to SwimSwam. At the 2021 European Junior Championships in Rome, the young Romanian was off to a flying start. He eventually won three gold medals and one silver medal. His gold medals were won in the 50m freestyle, 100m freestyle, and 200m freestyle events.
David's lone silver medal came in the 4x100m freestyle relay. He then competed in the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, where he competed in the 50m freestyle, 100m freestyle, and 200m freestyle events and finished in fourth and seventh place in the 200m freestyle and 100m freestyle events.
The Romanian swimmer clinched a lone gold medal at the 2021 European Short Course Championships. He emerged victorious in the 200m freestyle event but failed to qualify for the finals in the 100m freestyle and 400m freestyle events.
At the 2022 World Aquatics Championships in Budapest, Hungary, he claimed gold medals in the 100m freestyle and 200m freestyle events by clocking a time of 47.58 and 1:43.21, respectively. Following the 2022 World Aquatics Championships, David Popovici won four gold medals and one silver medal at the 2022 European Junior Championships.
His four gold medals came in the 50m freestyle, 100m freestyle, 200m freestyle, and 4x100m freestyle relay events. In the 4x100m mixed freestyle relay, David Popovici and his teammates helped Team Romania clinch the silver medal. The young swimmer then competed in the 2022 European Championships and claimed gold medals in the 100m freestyle and 200m freestyle events.
Popovici won the 100m freestyle event with a world record time of 46.86. He once again put up a thundering performance at the 2022 World Junior Championships. The Romanian swimmer emerged victorious in three events and finished as a runner-up in the 4x100m mixed freestyle relay event. At the 2022 World Short Course Championships, Popovici claimed a silver medal in the 200m freestyle event.
David Popovici was named the 2022 Men's Swimmer of the Year and the 2022 European Swimmer of the Year by Swimming World Magazine.
Leon Marchand's career so far
The French swimmer, Leon Marchand, is two years older than the Romanian swimming sensation, David Popovici. Marchand won a bronze medal at the 2019 World Junior Championships with a national record time of 4:16.37. He also competed in the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo but was unable to win any medals.
Marchand's best finish at the Tokyo Olympics was in the 400m individual medley when he finished in sixth place in the finals. At the 2022 NCAA Championships, Leon Marchand won two gold medals and two silver medals representing the Arizona State Sun Devils. His two gold medals came in the 200-yard individual medley and 200-yard breaststroke.
Leon claimed two silver medals in the 400-yard individual medley and 4x100-yard freestyle event. At the 2022 World Aquatics Championships, Marchand won two gold medals in the 200m individual medley and 400m individual medley events. The French swimmer also clinched a silver medal in the 200m butterfly event.
Who has had the most impressive career so far?
Taking into consideration the medal count and career paths of both the young swimmers, we can definitely say that David Popovici has had a more impressive career. However, both Marchand and Popovici have bright and promising futures in the sport of swimming.
