Sawt Falasteen - Popovici says came close to going home before winning world gold

The popular 20-year-old Romanian timed it perfectly to reel in US rival Luke Hobson in the closing stages and take the title in 1min 43.53sec.

Hobson was forced to settle for silver (1:43.84) with Japan's 18-year-old Tatsuya Murasa taking bronze (1:44.54).

"Even better than the Olympics to be honest," said Popovici, who reclaimed his world crown from 2022.

"You know why?" he added.

"I trained a lot for the Olympics but this year has been more relaxed and easygoing."

He added: "I am very proud of myself."

The final in Singapore was billed as a duel between Popovici -- the Olympic champion -- and Paris bronze medallist Hobson.

And so it turned out, with Popovici putting on the afterburners in the dying stages of the race.

Popovici said afterwards that fear of realising his full potential had made him seriously think twice about racing.

"Frankly, just one or two days before the competition I wanted to pull out," he said.

"I just wasn't feeling well. It wasn't fear of competing or fear of losing, it was the fear of -- how do I put it -- I scratched my own potential, the huge potential I realised I have this year, I scratched it, I saw it, I tasted it, and then the fear of reaching your own potential.

"That's very scary. And so I'm really glad I didn't quit."

Asked how close he had come to not competing, Popovici said: "I started looking for flights back.

"It was a mental thing and it had to do with the fear of seeing my real potential."

Britain's Matthew Richards, who took silver in the French capital a year ago, was a surprise casualty in the semi-finals.

South Korea's Hwang Sun-woo, who went to the first turn in front, finished just outside the medals in fourth.

The 200m freestyle was the first of five finals on the third day of competition in Singapore.

A.AlHaj--SF-PST