Nikola Gradinarov, bronze medalist with the Bulgarian U18 national team, is among the nominees for the "Athlete of Varna" award for July 2026. This was announced on social media by the "Athlete of Varna" / Rumen Genov page.
The young volleyball player earned the nomination after his excellent performance at the U18 European Championship in Italy, where Bulgaria won the bronze medals, and Gradinarov was chosen as the #1 outside hitter of the championship.
There are a total of 24 nominations for "Athlete of Varna" for July. Gradinarov is the only representative of volleyball, and among the other contenders are representatives of acrobatic rock and roll, fencing, athletics, sport shooting, swimming, artistic gymnastics, archery, and artistic swimming.
The winner of the traditional monthly "Athlete of Varna" poll is yet to be determined.

photo: Nikolay Varadinov