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Teens Popovici and McIntosh grab world swimming golds as Dressel quits / Photo: © AFP
Teens Popovici and McIntosh grab world swimming golds as Dressel quits
David Popovici, a 17-year-old, collected his second gold medal of the Swimming World Championships on Wednesday while 15-year-old Summer McIntosh won her first.
Popovici, who had become the first Romanian man to win a world title when he won the 200m free victory, collected another with a late surge.
"Now I get to rest a little even though standing on my feet," he said.
"I feel good, I'm glad to have got two golds now, I think it will be pretty heavy carrying them."
McIntosh, a Canadian, broke the world junior record as she added to the silver she had won in the 400m freestyle on the opening day.
"It's one of my biggest dreams in the swimming world to be world champion and especially to do it in 200 fly it's something I always wanted to do as it is one of my favourite events," she said.
Olympic gold medallist rival Caeleb Dressel had entered the 100m but withdrew from the championships before the final for unspecified health reasons after winning his heat, in a time slower than Popovici.
Popovici started the last lap trailing Canadian Joshua Liendo but accelerated past and then out-battled Frenchman Maxime Grousset to the line.
Popovici beat Grousset by 0.6sec and Liendo by 0.13.
His time of 47.58 was shy of the world junior record he set in the heats.
"This one hurt a little more, I guess I was more tired, more nervous I suppose, but I'm glad it's over and I get to have a rest."
He exactly matched the time of Australia's Kyle Chalmers who was 17 when he won gold in Rio.
"That was exactly what I was thinking about, the first thought that came to mind, not the best I can but definitely still a fast time," Popovici said.
He was asked if he had scared Dressel off.
"I don't think so, I think he is too big of a boy to be running away from someone like myself or frankly anyone but I hope he's ok and I hope he'll come back stronger."
McIntosh beat Hali Flickinger of the United States by an emphatic 0.88sec with Zhang Yufei of China third.
"I just literally gave it my all and did everything I could, and put in all my energy and all my focus, and just stretched for the wall and put my hand on the wall as fast as I possibly could," McIntosh said.
P.Thomas--SFF
