Bulgarian weightlifter Karlos Nasar was chosen as "Sportsman of 2025".
The weightlifter also topped the ranking in 2024. Nasar collected 1040 points out of a possible 1170 from 117 journalists who participated in the 68th poll. He is the ninth athlete with more than one such award.
Last year, the 21-year-old national team member won European and world titles in weightlifting. On April 19, 2025, at the European Championships in Chisinau (Moldova), Karlos Nasar debuted in a competition in the category up to 96 kg, winning the champion title with 3 gold medals in the snatch, the clean and jerk, and the overall.
With his third attempt in the snatch, he set a new world record for men – 188 kg, and in his last 6th attempt, he also broke the world record in the overall – 417 kg. Even more impressive is that the records were achieved with a personal weight of 93.35 kg, over 2.5 kg below the limit for the category.
The 21-year-old talent, who lives in Cherven Bryag, won his third world title in Førde (Norway) after making up a 9-kilogram deficit. The Olympic, world, and European champion deservedly won the award, and his runner-up is volleyball player Alex Nikolov. Third is skier Albert Popov.
In addition to President Yotova, the Minister of Youth and Sports Dimitar Iliev, the President of the Bulgarian Olympic Committee (BOC) Vesela Lecheva, the legends of Bulgarian football Hristo Stoichkov and Dimitar Berbatov, as well as the presidents of almost all sports federations also attended the ceremony.
The men's national volleyball team is first among the teams, and their Italian coach Gianlorenzo Blengini is number 1 in the poll among the coaches. The Sportsman No. 1 with disabilities is athlete Ruzhdi Ruzhdi.