Albert Popov
{{short description|Bulgarian alpine skier}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2023}}
{{Infobox alpine ski racer
| name = Albert Popov
| image = Albert Popov in Grandvalira 2023 (2).jpg
| image_size = 220px
| caption = Popov in 2023
| disciplines = Slalom
| club = Motensport Sofia
| birth_date = {{nowrap|{{birth date and age|1997|08|08|df=y}}}}
| birth_place = Sofia, Bulgaria
| country = {{BUL}}
| height =
| wcdebut = 26 October 2014 (age 17)
| website =
| olympicteams = 2 – (2018, 2022)
| olympicmedals = 0
| olympicgolds =
| worldsteams = 6 – (2015–2025)
| worldsmedals = 0
| worldsgolds =
| wcseasons = 11 – (2015–2025)
| wcwins = 1 – 1 (SL)
| wcpodiums = 2 – 2 (SL)
| wcoveralls = 0 – (44th in 2023)
| wctitles = 0 – (15th in SL, 2023)
| medals =
{{MedalSport | Men's alpine skiing}}
{{MedalCountry | {{BUL}} }}
{{Medal|Competition|World Cup race podiums}}
{{MedalCount | total = yes
| Slalom | 1 | 0 | 1
}}
{{MedalCompetition|Junior World Championships}}
{{MedalBronze|2018 Davos|Giant slalom}}
|show-medals = yes
}}
Albert Popov ({{langx|bg|Алберт Попов}}; born 8 August 1997) is a Bulgarian World Cup alpine ski racer and specializes in slalom.{{cite web|title=Albert Popov Personal Profile|url=http://www.eurosport.com/alpine-skiing/albert-popov_prs410776/person.shtml|publisher=Eurosport|accessdate=31 January 2015}}{{cite web|title=Алберт Попов ще е знаменосецът ни олимпийския фестивал, церемонията е насрочена за 20.30 ч. българско време| url=http://topsport.ibox.bg/news/id_1301287032|work=winter sports at topsport.bg|publisher=topsport.bg|date=25 January 2015|accessdate=31 January 2015}} Popov is the second Bulgarian ever to win a World Cup race, after Petar Popangelov 45 years to the day earlier.{{Cite web |last=Bregman |first=Scott |date=8 January 2025 |title=Bulgarian Albert Popov claims shock slalom victory at FIS World Cup in Madonna di Campiglio |url=https://olympics.com/en/news/bulgarian-albert-popov-claims-shock-slalom-victory-world-cup-madonna-campiglio |website=Olympics.com}}
Career
{{Update section|reason=Missing career achievements since 2019|date=November 2023}}
Albert Popov was born in Sofia and made his debut in the FIS Alpine Ski World Cup in 2014, aged just 17. A few months later, he participated at the 2015 FIS Alpine World Ski Championships, where he failed to finish both the slalom and giant slalom events.
Popov was involved in a serious car accident on 17 November 2015, while returning from training near Sölden. He was one of two passengers in a vehicle driven by Drago Grubelnik, then head coach of the Bulgarian ski team, who was also accompanied by his assistant Mitko Hristov. All three occupants of the car were injured in the crash, with Grubelnik later dying of his wounds in a hospital in Murnau, Germany.{{cite web |url=https://www.dnevnik.bg/sport/2015/11/17/2651309_trenyorut_na_nacionalite_po_ski_e_zaginal_v/|title=Треньорът на националите по ски е загинал в катастрофата, Попов е със счупен глезен|date=17 November 2015|publisher=dnevnik.bg|language=Bulgarian}} Popov eventually returned to the FIS circuit for the 2016–17 season and featured at the 2017 World Championships, where he finished 27th overall in slalom and 30th overall in the giant slalom event.
On 6 February 2018, Popov won a bronze medal in the giant slalom at the 2018 FIS Junior World Ski Championships in Davos. Twelve days later, he made his debut at the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang 2018, where he placed 28th in the giant slalom and did not finish the slalom.{{Cite web|url=https://data.fis-ski.com/dynamic/athlete-biography.html?sector=AL&competitorid=190120&type=result&category=ALL&season=ALL&sort=&discipline=ALL&position=&place=&Submit=Search&limit=50|title=POPOV Albert – Biographie|last=|first=|date=|website=data.fis-ski.com|language=en|access-date=25 February 2018}}
His World Cup breakthrough came in the opening race of the 2018–19 season in Levi, where he finished 20th, earning 11 points - Bulgaria's first in the World Cup since Petar Popangelov during the 1986–87 season.{{cite web |url=https://www.dnevnik.bg/sport/2018/11/18/3347877_hirsher_zapochna_sezona_s_pobeda_v_levi_albert_popov/|title=Хиршер започна сезона с победа в Леви, Алберт Попов завърши 20-и|date=18 November 2018|publisher=dnevnik.bg|language=Bulgarian}} Popov followed that up with a 16th place finish at Madonna di Campiglio in December, after starting with the number 72 bib.{{cite web |url=https://www.dnevnik.bg/sport/2018/12/22/3366537_albert_popov_zavurshi_16-i_v_slaloma_v_madona_di/|title=Алберт Попов завърши 16-и в слалома в Мадона ди Кампилио|date=22 December 2018|publisher=dnevnik.bg|language=Bulgarian}} On 26 January 2019, he finished 9th in the slalom event at Kitzbühel, which was the best result for a Bulgarian skier since Popangelov placed 7th at Heavenly Valley in 1985–86.{{cite web |url=https://www.dnevnik.bg/sport/2019/01/26/3380950_albert_popov_zavurshi_na_rekordnoto_deveto_miasto_v/|title=Алберт Попов завърши на рекордното девето място в слалома в Кицбюел|date=26 January 2019|publisher=dnevnik.bg|language=Bulgarian}}{{cite web |url=https://www.sportal.bg/news.php?news=767674|title=Феноменален Алберт Попов остана 9-и на слалома в Кицбюел, след страхотен I манш|date=26 January 2019|publisher=sportal.bg|language=Bulgarian}} Three days later he reached another milestone, finishing 6th at Schladming, his country's highest placement since Popangelov's 6th place at Park City during the 1984–85 season.{{cite web |url=https://www.dnevnik.bg/sport/2019/01/29/3382372_albert_popov_zavurshi_shesti_v_noshtniia_slalom_v/|title=Алберт Попов продължи вихрено и стана шести в нощния слалом в Шладминг|date=29 January 2019|publisher=dnevnik.bg|language=Bulgarian}}
Popov scored his first World Cup points of the 2019–20 season on 15 December 2019, when he finished 12th in the slalom at Val-d'Isère.{{cite web |url=https://www.sportal.bg/news.php?news=819067|title=Отличен Алберт Попов остана на косъм от класиране в Топ 10|date=15 December 2019|publisher=sportal.bg|language=Bulgarian}} On 8 January 2020, he took 18th place in the slalom at Madonna di Campiglio, his second consecutive points finish at that event. Four days later he finished 13th in the slalom at Adelboden.{{cite web |url=https://www.sportal.bg/news.php?news=822243|title=Алберт Попов продължава да трупа точки за Световната купа|date=9 January 2020|publisher=sportal.bg|language=Bulgarian}}{{cite web |url=https://www.sportal.bg/news.php?news=822765|title=Страхотен Алберт Попов в Аделбоден!|date=12 January 2020|publisher=sportal.bg|language=Bulgarian}} On 28 January 2020, Popov finished 19th during the slalom event at Schladming, equaling his season's best of four point placements.{{cite web |url=https://www.sportal.bg/news.php?news=825394|title=Нов успех за Алберт Попов и кошмар за домакините в нощната класика в Шладминг|date=28 January 2020|publisher=sportal.bg|language=Bulgarian}}
On 8 January 2025, he made a remarkable comeback in the second run, securing his first World Cup race victory in the classic 3-Tre night slalom at Madonna di Campiglio.
World Cup results
=Season standings=
| class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%; text-align:center; border:grey solid 1px; border-collapse:collapse;" width="40%" | |||||||||
| style="background-color:#369; color:white;"
|rowspan="2" colspan="1" width="6%"|Season | |||||||||
| style="background-color:#4180be; color:white;"
| width="3%"|Age | width="5%"|Overall | width="5%"|Slalom | width="5%"|Giant | width="5%"|Super G | width="5%"|Downhill | width="5%"|Combined | width="5%"|Parallel | width="5%"|Points | |||||||||
| style="background-color:#8CB2D8; color:white;" | |||||||||
| 2019 | 21 | 66 | 23 | — | — | — | — | {{n/a}} | 95 |
| 2020 | 22 | 90 | 31 | — | — | — | — | — | 67 |
| 2021 | 23 | 72 | 26 | — | — | — | rowspan=6 {{n/a}} | — | 90 |
| 2022 | 24 | 57 | 21 | — | — | — | — | 147 | |
| 2023 | 25 | 44 | 15 | — | — | — | rowspan=4 {{n/a}} | 182 | |
| 2024 | 26 | 62 | 24 | — | — | — | 111 | ||
| 2025 | 27 | 30 | 12 | — | — | — | 229 |
:Standings through 3 March 2025
=Race podiums=
- 1 win – (1 SL)
- 2 podiums – (2 SL), 10 top tens (10 SL)
| class="wikitable"
|+ !Season !Date !Location !Discipline !Place |
| align=center|2023
|align=right|26 February 2023 |align=left|{{Flagicon|USA}} Palisades Tahoe, USA |align=center|Slalom |align=center|3rd |
| rowspan="1" align=center|2025
|align=right bgcolor="#BOEOE6"|8 January 2025 |align=left|{{Flagicon|Italy}} Madonna di Campiglio, Italy |align=center bgcolor="#BOEOE6"|Slalom |align=center bgcolor="#BOEOE6"|1st |
World Championships results
| class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%; text-align:center; border:grey solid 1px; border-collapse:collapse;" width="40%" | |||||||
| style="background-color:#369; color:white;"
|rowspan="2" colspan="1" width="6%"|Year | |||||||
| style="background-color:#4180be; color:white;"
| width="3%"|Age | width="5%"|Slalom | width="5%"|Giant | width="5%"|Super G | width="5%"|Downhill | width="5%"|Combined | width="5%"|Team | |||||||
| style="background-color:#8CB2D8; color:white;" | |||||||
| 2015 | 17 | DNF1 | DNF1 | — | — | — | rowspan=5{{n/a}} |
| 2017 | 19 | 27 | 30 | — | — | — | |
| 2019 | 21 | DNF1 | 29 | — | — | — | |
| 2021 | 23 | DNF2 | 24 | — | — | — | |
| 2023 | 25 | DNF1 | 35 | — | — | — | |
| 2025 | 27 | 18 | — | — | — | {{n/a}} | — |
Olympic results
| class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%; text-align:center; border:grey solid 1px; border-collapse:collapse;" width="40%" | ||||||
| style="background-color:#369; color:white;"
|rowspan="2" colspan="1" width="6%"|Year | ||||||
| style="background-color:#4180be; color:white;"
| width="3%"|Age | width="5%"|Slalom | width="5%"|Giant | width="5%"|Super G | width="5%"|Downhill | width="5%"|Combined | ||||||
| style="background-color:#8CB2D8; color:white;" | ||||||
| 2018 | 20 | DNF1 | 28 | — | — | — |
| 2022 | 24 | 9 | 17 | — | — | — |
References
{{reflist|30em}}
External links
{{commons category}}
- {{Sports links}}
- {{Ski-DB|albert_popov_bul_92720}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Popov, Albert}}
Category:Bulgarian male alpine skiers
Category:Alpine skiers at the 2018 Winter Olympics
Category:Alpine skiers at the 2022 Winter Olympics