Greek long jumper Miltiadis Tentoglou has been crowned the Best Balkan Athlete of the Year for 2024, marking a historic achievement for Greece.
The 26-year-old Olympic gold medalist from Paris, who also holds the titles of reigning World Indoor Champion and European Champion, topped the prestigious annual poll with 61 votes.
Tentoglou’s win makes him the first Greek athlete in 15 years to secure the top spot in the Balkan poll, a testament to his outstanding athletic accomplishments on the global stage.
Romanian swimmer David Popovici and Serbian NBA star Nikola Jokic finished in second and third place, respectively. The annual poll, conducted by the national news agencies of 12 Balkan countries, saw a total of 38 athletes receiving votes.
Tied for fourth place were Bulgarian weightlifter Carlos Nasar and Serbian tennis legend Novak Djokovic, the latter having previously won the award an impressive eight times.
The poll, organized by the national news agencies of Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Greece, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Romania, Serbia, and Turkey, celebrates the region's finest sporting talents.