Richards, the world champion from Fukuoka last year, was bullish entering the Olympics, but stumbled in the final.
David Popovici, hailed as “The Chlorine Daddy” by his fans, provided a menacing pose on the block as a hushed silence descended on La Defense Arena ahead of the men’s 200m freestyle final.
The Romanian has flicked a switch this year with his ominous form making many wonder if the intrigue surrounding this race was surrounding silver and bronze.
The Romanian prevailed with a swim of 1min 44.72secs after a nerve-wracking wait after the touch, seizing a first Olympic gold medal.
Mystery briefly clouded the arena – had the Briton pulled off a stunning gold? A flicker of the board would soon dash his hopes, crowning Popovici by just 0.02secs.
“I’m walking away with a silver, this time last year, I was on the right side of the touch, myself and David, we’ve raced many times, I’ve beaten him, he’s beaten me, fundamentally I loved every minute of that,” Richards said in the immediate aftermath.
This story is from the July 30, 2024 edition of The Independent.
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This story is from the July 30, 2024 edition of The Independent.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
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