2021 Piotr Nurowski Prize: Romanian swimmer among the five finalists

The European Olympic Committees (EOC) unveiled the five finalists for the 2021 Piotr Nurowski “Best Summer European Young Athlete” Prize, and Romanian swimmer David Popovici is on the list.

The other four nominees are Sky Brown from Great Britain (skateboarding), Adriana Cerezo Iglesias from Spain (taekwondo), Viktoria Listunova from Russia (artistic gymnastics), and Adriana Vilagos from Serbia (athletics). Romania’s David Popovici is the only male athlete on the list.

The vote and award ceremony will be held during the EOC Seminar in Samorin, Slovakia, on November 25-26. The winner will take home a EUR 15,000 training scholarship, the second and third place EUR 8,000 and EUR 5,000 respectively, whilst the fourth and fifth will both receive EUR 3,000, the EOC announced.

2021 was a great year for David Popovici. The Romanian swimmer managed to win three gold medals at the European Junior Championships, to break two world records for juniors in the 100 and 200 m freestyle, and finish 4th at the Tokyo Olympics in the 100 m freestyle event, according to the Romanian Olympic and Sports Committee (COSR).

The Piotr Nurowski annual prize was created in memory of former President of the Polish Olympic Committee Piotr Nurowski, who died in 2010 in a plane crash. It is awarded to young, up-and-coming athletes that, over the past years, “have showcased not only outstanding sporting achievements but also exceptional conduct on and off the field of play.”

This is the 10th summer edition of the Piotr Nurowski Prize. In 2012, Romanian gymnast Larisa Iordache came in second in the final for this award.

(Photo source: Inquam Photos/Sabin Cirstoveanu)