Almost withdrew from the competition and returned home! Popovich won the gold medal in a thrilling way, and the Paris Olympic champion revealed that he was struggling before the game

Paris Olympic champion and Romanian 20-year-old David Popovici performed a surprising reversal at the Singapore World Swimming Championships, winning the men's 200m freestyle gold medal in 1 minute 43 seconds 53, but after the game he revealed that he had almost withdrew from the competition.

The 20-year-old popular Romanian player showed explosive power in the last 50 meters and surpassed the American opponent Hobson. Hobson won the silver medal with 1 minute 43 seconds 84, while Japan's 18-year-old rookie Sasuke Murata also won the bronze with 1 minute 44 seconds 54.

"To be honest, this is more wonderful than winning the Olympic gold medal." Popovich, who regained the throne of the 2022 World Championships, said, "Do you know why? I have put a lot of training for the Olympics, but this year it's easier and more comfortable." He emphasized: "I am proud of myself."

The final held in Singapore is regarded as a showdown between Popovich and Paris Olympic bronze medalist Hobson. In the end, Popovich showed amazing explosive power in the final stage to win, but after the game he admitted that he almost gave up participating before the game because of "fear of reaching his own limit".

"To be honest, I really want to withdraw from the competition one or two days before the game." Popovich revealed, "It's not that I'm afraid of competition or failure, but... what should I say? I touched the huge potential I realized this year. After witnessing and experiencing that real state with my own eyes, I was afraid to reach that level. This is very terrible, so I'm glad I didn't give up in the end."

When asked how strong the idea of withdrawing from the competition was, he replied: "I even started to check the return flight. This is a psychological problem, which comes from the fear of real potential."

Last year's Paris Olympic silver medalist and British player Richards was unexpectedly eliminated in the semi-finals. Although South Korean star Huang Xuanyou took the lead in his first turn, he finally won only the fourth place. This 200 Self-Decision is the first gold medal match on the third day of the Singapore World Championships.