Men’s swimmer David Popovic (18, Romania) has been recognized for his achievements to establish himself as a world-class sports star beyond sports.
Popovich won Novak Djokovic (35, Serbia), one of the men’s tennis GOATs (Greatest Of All Time), and the best individual football player, ‘Ballon d’Or’, in the ‘2022 Southeast European Sports Player of the Year’ vote hosted by the Bulgarian BTA. He took first place, beating Luka Modric (37, Croatia).
Southeast Europe is a concept that combines ▲ Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Greece, Serbia, Croatia, Slovenia, Romania and Turkey.
The ‘Southeast European Sports Athlete Award’ built public confidence through an expert panel survey organized by state-run news agencies representing the countries in the region, centering on the BTA.
Popovich swept gold medals in the 100 and 200m freestyle at the Youth, Adult European and World Championships last year, standing tall as the strongest short-distance swimmer.
In August of last year, at the European Adult Championships, he set a new world record (46.86 seconds) in the 100m and the best junior record (1:42.97) in the 200m, clearly showing who is the current leader in the two events. 토토사이트
The 2021 European Olympic Committee (EOC) Best Young Athlete is the first time Popovich has won an international sports individual award for all events.
Within a year, Popovich had surpassed her Young Player Award level. She rapidly grew from a swimming prodigy → swimming genius → swimming monster, and she became a star representing not only Romania but also the entire Balkans.
In the TOP 10 of ‘2022 Southeast European Sports Athletes’, there are also former NBA MVPs of American professional basketball such as Nicola Jokic (27, Serbia) and Yanis Antetokounmpo (28, Greece). This is why we pay more attention to Popovich No. 1.
Last season, Hwang Seon-woo (19) competed with Popovich in the 200m freestyle, winning the gold medal at the World Short Course Championships and the silver medal at the World Championships.