Podcast in English
Text size
Bulgarian National Radio © 2025 All Rights Reserved

Romanian swimmer David Popovici voted Best Athlete in the Balkans, Bulgaria's Vezenkov placed 8th

David Popovici in Lima, Peru
Photo: David Popovici/Facebook

The 18-year-old Romanian swimmer David Popovici is the winner of the 49th edition of BTA's "Best Athletes of the Balkans" survey for 2022. The only Bulgarian in the top 10 - the basketball player Alexander Vezenkov - was ranked 8th.

Popovici won the world and European titles in the men's 100m and 200m freestyle, while also setting a new world record in the 100m freestyle. He added a total of ten gold medals from the World and European Junior Championships. This week he was also named the #1 swimmer in Europe for the season.

The national agencies of the countries of the region participated in the traditional survey - BTA (Bulgaria), ANA-MPA (Greece), AGERPRESS (Romania), Anadolu Agency (Turkey), Tanjug (Serbia), MINA (Montenegro), MIA (North Macedonia), HINA (Croatia), FENA (Bosnia and Herzegovina) and ATA (Albania).



Последвайте ни и в Google News Showcase, за да научите най-важното от деня!
Listen to the daily news from Bulgaria presented in "Bulgaria Today" podcast, available in Spotify.

More from category

Bulgarian national football team will face Spain in World Cup Qualifiers match in Valladolid

Another tough test for the Bulgarian national football team is coming up on October 14 against Spain in a match from the 2026 World Cup qualifiers. The match will take place in Valladolid at 9:45 p.m., with the European champion being the absolute..

published on 10/14/25 9:55 AM

Photo finish determines winner in Sofia Marathon

Just 3 tenths of a second determined the champion in the 2025 Sofia Marathon. Kenyan runners Shedrack Kimaiyo and Abraham Kiplimo crossed the finish line at the same time and the use of photo finish was needed. Last year's winner..

published on 10/13/25 11:42 AM

42nd Sofia Marathon set to begin with record turnout

The 42nd edition of the Wizz Air Sofia Marathon 2025, Bulgaria’s largest athletics event, will take place on 11–12 October, with the capital’s streets set to host thousands of runners. Organisers have reported a record level of interest this year,..

published on 10/11/25 7:05 AM