World weightlifting champion Carlos Nassar is Bulgaria’s new Sportsman of the Year for 2025, according to the results of the traditional poll, which was held for the 68th time today. The ceremony was held at the Hyatt Regency Sofia hotel, and Nassar won for the second consecutive year. He scored 1,040 points out of a possible 1,170.
Second place went to young volleyball hopeful Alexander Nikolov, who received 913 points. Third place went to skier Albert Popov with 625 points.
In addition to President Yotova, the ceremony was also attended by Minister of Youth and Sports Dimitar Iliev, President of the Bulgarian Olympic Committee (BOC) Vessela Letcheva, Bulgarian football legends Hristo Stoichkov and Dimitar Berbatov, as well as the presidents of almost all sports federations, led by Lyubomir Ganev (volleyball), Georgi Glushkov (basketball), Tseko Minev (skiing), and Atanas Furnadzhiev (biathlon).
The men’s national volleyball team ranks first among the teams, and their Italian coach Gianlorenzo Blengini is number one in the coaches’ poll. The number one athlete with disabilities is track and field athlete Ruzhdi Ruzhdi, who proves his consistency every year.
