Olympic long jump champion Tentoglou named Balkan athlete of the year

Updated Jan. 17, 2025 7:13 a.m. ET

Associated Press

SOFIA, Bulgaria (AP) — Greek long jumper Miltiadis Tentoglou was named the Best Balkan Athlete of the Year for 2024 on Friday.

The 26-year-old Tentoglou, who won Olympic gold in Paris last year, is also the reigning world indoor champion and the European champion. He collected 61 votes to become the first Greek athlete in 15 years to top the poll.

Romanian swimmer David Popovici and Serbian NBA star Nikola Jokic came in second and third, respectively.

The results of the annual poll were published by the Bulgarian News Agency. A total of 38 athletes received votes.

Bulgarian weightlifter Carlos Nasar shared fourth place with Serbian tennis star Novak Djokovic, who has won the award eight times.

The Balkan poll is traditionally conducted by the national news agencies of Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Greece, Kosovo, Northern Macedonia, Montenegro, Romania, Serbia and Turkey.

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