Ivan Ivanov among Finalists for Europe's Best Young Athlete

Tennis player Ivan Ivanov has been named a finalist in the 14th edition of the "Piotr Nurovski" awards for Europe's best young athlete. This is a significant achievement for Bulgarian sports, following Malena Zamfirova's win in the winter edition of the awards. Due to the intense competition, six instead of the usual five young athletes from across Europe have made the finals, as officially announced by the European Olympic Committees. For the first time in the summer edition, a Bulgarian has made it to the finals.

"I am delighted that we are nominating a Bulgarian young athlete for the second time, and once again our candidate has made it to the final. Ivan Ivanov has already made history by winning Wimbledon and the US Open in the same year. It is gratifying to see that his achievements are being recognized not just in Bulgaria but also by the other Olympic committees in Europe, which is a recognition for him and for Bulgaria," commented Vesela Lecheva.

Finalists for the 14th summer edition of the "Piotr Nurovski" award:
1. Ivan Ivanov, tennis
2. Andrea Berisai (Montenegro), taekwondo
3. Amalia Kovaliou (Romania), fencing
4. Ruby Evans (United Kingdom), artistic gymnastics
5. Alinka Inker Mäser (Estonia), athletics
6. Maruša Teresa Šerkosi (Slovenia), cycling

The voting for the winner will take place during the 55th General Assembly of the European Olympic Committees in Budapest (Hungary) on June 12. All finalists are invited to the gala dinner on the same day.

The "Piotr Nurovski" award was established in 2011. In 2016, it was decided to expand its scope by creating separate editions for summer and winter sports. In 2025, Malena Zamfirova won the award in the winter sports category, impressing the jury with her speech. All finalists receive a plaque and a financial award to invest in their training. The first-place prize is 15,000 euros, second place is 8,000 euros, third place is 5,000 euros, and fourth, fifth, and sixth places are 3,000 euros each.