site.btaSwimmer Petar Mitsin Voted Bulgaria's Best Young Athlete of 2023

World and European junior swimming champion Petar Mitsin was named Bulgaria's Best Young Athlete of 2023. Eighty-four sports journalists from national and regional media voted in the 12th edition of a poll taken by Viasport.bg, the only youth sport website in Bulgaria. They voted for Best U19 Athlete, Best Team and Best Coach.

Mitsin, who was born in the southern town of Velingrad in 2005, received a prize in Sofia on Saturday from Todor Ivanov, manager of Free Media Group, which organized the event.

In 2023, Mitsin became the first Bulgarian swimmer to set a world junior record. He earned two Olympic berths for Paris 2024 in 400m and 800m freestyle and met a 200m Olympic B standard.

This is the fifth time a swimmer has topped the poll after Antani Ivanov (in 2016 and 2017) and Josif Miladinov (in 2019 and 2021).

Mitsin's coach Nikolay Vakareev was named Best Coach of a Junior Athlete. 

Stefani Mihaylova won the Will to Win Prize for 2023. The prize is given to young athletes who keep practising sports after coping with difficulties. Four days after Stefani turned 13, she was hit by a car on a pedestrian crossing on her way home from swimming practice. Three weeks later she took gold and silver at the National Swimming Championships - Zone Sofia.

Bulgaria's Top 10 Young Athletes for 2023:

1. Petar Mitsin (swimming) 790 points;
2. Karlos Nasar (weightlifting) 551 pts;
3. Beloslava Krasteva (chess) 464 pts;
4. Bozhidar Saraboyukov (athletics) 431 pts;
5. Stiliana Nikolova (rhythmic gymnastics) 403 pts;
6. Kalina Boyadzhieva (taekwondo and kickboxing) 256 pts;
7. Simeon Nikolov (volleyball) 243 pts;
8. Radoslav Rosenov (boxing) 209 pts;
9. Nikola Tsolov (motorsports racing) 182 pts;
10. Iliyan Radulov (tennis) 163 pts.

Junior National Teams:

1. U18 Women's Tennis 240 pts;
2. U17 Men's Volleyball 190 pts;
3. U19 Men's Volleyball 170 pts.