Romania’s Olympic 200m freestyle champion David Popovici won with panache on his debut at the European Aquatics U23 Swimming Championships – and his compatriot Denis-Laurean Popescu added a second gold after defeating Portugal’s double world champion Diogo Ribeiro in a riveting men’s 100m butterfly.

Elsewhere on day one Hungary’s 19-year-olds Minna Abraham and Nicolett Padar made history as they tied for gold in the women’s 200m freestyle after clocking 1:56.03 – a personal best for both.

Other notable flourishes in the outdoor pool at the x-bionic sphere came from Belgium’s Roos Vanotterdijk, who won the women’s 100m butterfly and 50m backstroke titles, and Germany’s Sven Schwarz, who finished more than 20 seconds clear in the men’s 1500m, clocking 14:38.96.

Popovici, a marquee name for these Championships, completed his personal gold medal set here having already won Olympic, world and European senior titles.

The 20-year-old looked relaxed and assured both in the morning heats, where he was fastest qualifier in 1:46.84, and the evening’s final, where he laid down a huge marker for next month’s World Aquatics Championships in Singapore as he clocked 1:43.64 – comfortably inside his Paris 2024 time of 1:44.72.

He finished almost three seconds clear of Bulgaria’s 19-year-old world junior 400m freestyle record holder Petar Mitsin, who took silver in 1:46.48.

“I’m glad it turned out this way.,” Popovici told European Aquatics. “All that I know is that when I’m relaxed and feeling just calm I can swim fast. I think this is a nice new approach, just being happy in life and easygoing.”

Asked how he deals with the pressure of being a national sporting idol, he added: “Pressure is part of my job. You can’t do this stuff, or any sport professionally without pressure, so I take it as it is, I try not to think too much of it and just go about what I do, not about what others want me to do.

“It’s a lot faster than the time in Paris, more than a second, which is nice, but usually at the Olympics you don’t usually swim the fastest times, with a few exceptions.

“Now I am looking forward to the Worlds.”

Popescu, 21, had made his intentions clear in the heats, where he clocked 51.49 – 0.62 faster than the subsequent time of 52.11 set by Ribeiro, who won the world 50m and 100m butterfly titles in Doha last year.

Ribeiro upped his game dramatically in final, clocking 51.73, but it was only enough for silver as Popescu trimmed his earlier mark by 0.01sec.

“I am really pleased with my performance,” Popescu said. “I amazed myself in the morning. It was a really big confidence-booster because – I didn’t know what was happening! I was swimming in the second 50 metres and I didn’t see anybody near me, and I thought ‘what is happening?’ And when I saw the time I was really pleased.

“It is my first time I have won this kind of medal. I am going to the Worlds in Singapore and I am going to dream big. Because this was a really good performance and I think I can go there and make a surprise again.”

For longtime rivals and team-mates Abraham and Padar the result of the women’s 200m freestyle came as a shock – but a very pleasant one. Padar, born just a week after Abraham, has had an outstanding junior career, winning five world golds and 10 European golds in individual and relay competition.

She held the advantage going into the final after qualifying fastest in 1:56.85, with Abraham second on 1:58.27. But the latter swimmer made up time impressively in the final.

“Obviously we didn’t expect this,” Abraham said. “We are both very competitive and we were racing for the gold medal. None of us could have predicted this but we are super-happy to share the podium and it’s a best time for both of us so we’re excited!

“It was so cool, so fun,” said Padar. “I’m so happy that we are both first.”

Asked if she had felt confident she could bridge the gap in the final, Abraham responded: “Absolutely. I have been putting in tons of hard work so I was expecting a good time but I didn’t think it would be a 56-low. We were just on the edge of a 1:55 which was very exciting.”

Schwarz, who lowered Daniel Wiffen’s European 800m record to 7:38.12 in May, made another huge statement with his uncompromising victory, with France’s Emile Vincent taking silver in 14:59.62.

“I was confident to win this one here but I didn’t know I could do a 14.38 as I have just finished training camp and I have not tapered for this race. So now I am looking forward to Singapore.”  

Vanotterdijk claimed her 100m butterfly title in 57.10, ahead of Greece’s Georgia Damasioti on 58.06 and Britain’s Lucy Grieve on 58.71. Just over half an hour later she exited the pool again as a champion having clocked 28.05 in the women’s 50m backstroke final, with silver going to Poland’s Adela Piskorska in 28.23.

“I’m doing more competitions this year and I like the feeling of it,” she said. “I really like to be busy, just swim, take it one step at a time. I’m happy to do more than one race in a day – it suits me, I really like it. I like to try and do a variety of different things, different strokes and distances.”

The first gold of these Championships was won by Estonia’s 18-year-old Eneli Jefimova, who finished last season with European gold, world bronze and a fourth consecutive European junior title in the women’s 100m breaststroke.

“To be the Under 23 champion is new title for me, so I am very happy with it,” she said. “I’m now going to prepare for the World Championships, and this is a big encouragement.”

Ireland’s 20-year-old Ellie McCartney took the women’s 200m individual medley title in 2:12.50, with France’s Bertille Cousson finishing second in 2:13.72 and home swimmer Tamara Potocka causing huge excitement by claiming bronze in 2:13.82.

“It was on my mind that Ireland topped the medal table when we hosted the first of these Championships in Dublin two years ago, so I really wanted to carry on the legacy,” McCartney said.

Greece’s Apostolos Siskos, European silver medallist last year in the men’s 200m backstroke, finished a second and a half clear to earn gold in 1:55.84.

The men’s 50m breaststroke title went to Austria’s Luka Mladenovic, who was delighted with his time of 26.72.

In the women’s 800m gold went to Germany’s Maya Werner, who finished more than four seconds clear in 8:29.53.

The programme concluded with a gold for Poland in the mixed 4x100m relay, where Zuzanna Famulok brought them home in 3:48.25, just 0.02 ahead of early leaders Great Britain, with Greece claiming bronze.

Mike Rowbottom for European Aquatics