Swimmer David Popovici, multiple medalist at the European Junior Championships and double senior world champion, will receive an invitation to continue his studies at the West University of Timisoara after finishing high school, he announced today in a press conference , rector of UVT, university professor Dr. Marilen Gabriel Pirtea.
"We will make this approach to David Popovici. Every year we send 100 personalized letters to the winners of the school olympiads, to the promotion chiefs or to those with 10 at the Baccalaureate, so everything that means performance. We offer them packages that include a scholarship, free accommodation, free access to all sports facilities and cultural institutions in Timisoara and so on. Among our graduates, we had great athletes who put the Romanian flag on the highest flagpole. So we want to make an offer to David Popovici as well. What David Popovici will decide remains to be seen, but our duty is to try and keep the talents in the country", declared the rector of UVT.
"I mention that we were the first to bring Simona Halep to the Western University of Timişoara and we gave her the title of Doctor Honoris Causa when she was not number one in the world in tennis. We brought it when it was on the rise because we saw in it the experiences of young people, their hopes and those of children. These great athletes are models for the next generations, and our role is to bring them forward to show that we can reach the highest heights of performance in sports, education, culture and so on," he added.
David Popovici (CS Dinamo), debutant at the Senior World Championships, brought the first two world titles in the Olympic pool for Romanian men's swimming. Through the performance in Budapest, Popovici became the second swimmer of all time to win gold in the 100 and 200 m freestyle at the same edition of the World Championships, after the result of the American Jim Montgomery in 1973, in Belgrade.
Popovici also won five medals, four gold, in the 50m freestyle, 100m freestyle, 200m freestyle, 4×100m freestyle relay and a silver in the 4×100m freestyle medley at the European Junior Swimming Championships from Otopeni.
