Olympic Swimmers David Popovici and Pan Zhanle Play Football, Popovici Jokes About "Cabbage" Skills

Olympic swimming stars David Popovici and Pan Zhanle recently completed a joint training stint in Bucharest, finding time amidst their rigorous schedules for a friendly football match. Popovici, a Romanian native, humorously admitted their lack of prowess on dry land, stating, "When it comes to gravity on land, we are cabbage!" He elaborated that after their pool session, Pan Zhanle suggested they play football, leading to an amusing session where both swimmers acknowledged their poor coordination off the swimming lanes.

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When it comes to gravity on land, we are cabbage!

Despite their intense rivalry in the pool, the two swimmers share a friendly rapport. Pan Zhanle's team initiated the idea for the joint training camp. Popovici reflected on the significance of their collaboration, anticipating that years later, as their rivalry intensifies, they will look back fondly on this training period. He likened their potential future duels to the classic matchups seen between football legends like Messi and Ronaldo, though he playfully avoided specifying who would play which role between himself and Pan Zhanle.

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Yesterday (Thursday), after the gym, he looked at the football fields and said he wanted to play. We went outside and... we are both cabbage! Anything related to gravity on land... We are cabbage! We played a little football and filmed some funny moments.

During their time in Bucharest, the swimmers also met with the press near the swimming pool at the National Sports Complex "Lia Manoliu." When asked about watching the ongoing World Cup matches, Popovici explained they had not had the time due to their training commitments. The joint training initiative highlights a growing trend of international collaboration among top athletes, fostering camaraderie even among competitors.

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I wouldn't say it's strange that we train together. They came up with the idea. Years later, after the rivalry between us becomes even greater, when there's a more classic duel, like between Messi and Ronaldo, we will look back at this training camp and think fondly about how it went.