Karlos Nasar named Bulgaria’s Sportsperson of 2025
World weightlifting champion Karlos Nasar is Bulgaria's Sportsperson of 2025, after he won the poll released for the 68th edition of the awards.
The award ceremony was held at the Hyatt Regency Sofia Hotel on Wednesday. Second place went to volleyball player Aleksandar Nikolov, and third is skier Albert Popov. Nasar was awarded by the President of the Republic of Bulgaria, Iliana Iotova, CE Report quotes BTA.
The ceremony was also attended by the Minister of Youth and Sports Dimitar Iliev, the President of the Bulgarian Olympic Committee Vesela Lecheva, former Bulgarian football stars Hristo Stoichkov and Dimitar Berbatov, as well as the presidents of almost all sports federations, including Lyubomir Ganev (volleyball), Georgi Glushkov (basketball), Tseko Minev (skiing), Atanas Furnadzhiev (biathlon).
The national men's volleyball team won Team of the Year, and their Italian coach Gianlorenzo Blenghini is number 1 in the coaches' poll. The number 1 Paralympian is track and field athlete Ruzhdi Ruzhdi.
The top ten rankings in the Bulgaria's Sportsperson of 2025 poll are as follows:
Karlos Nasar (weightlifting) - 1,040 points
Aleksandar Nikolov (volleyball) - 913
Albert Popov (alpine skiing) - 625
Tervel Zamfirov (snowboarding) - 605
Nikola Tsolov (motor racing) - 525
Simeon Nikolov (volleyball) - 419
Ivan Ivanov (tennis) - 331
Stiliyana Nikolova (rhythmic gymnastics) - 309
Bozhidar Saraboyukov (athletics) - 253
Aleksandar Vezenkov (basketball) - 202
Team of the Year:
National Volleyball Team (Men)
National Volleyball Team (Women U19)
Coach of the Year:
Gianlorenzo Blenghini (volleyball)
Atanas Petrov (volleyball)
Anatoly Zamfirov (snowboarding) and Pavel Hristov (weightlifting)
Other awards:
Athlete with a disability of the year: Ruzhdi Ruzhdi (athletics)
Other athletes honoured at the ceremony were Maya Nikolova, Vladimir Nikolov, Ilia Gruev, Malena Zamfirova, Tervel Zamfirov, Radoslav Yankov, Vladimir Zografski, Rami Kiwan, Radoslav Rosenov, Milena Todorova.
Assen Spiridonov is the first winner of the Petar Vasilev award for sports commentator.
A hundred and seventeen sports journalists participated in the Sportsperson of 2025 poll. The event was organized by the Bulgarian Association of Sports Journalists with the support of WINBET.
