Bulgarian Snowboarder Malena Zamfirova Wins 10th Winter Piotr Nurowski Prize for Best European Young Athlete

Bulgarian snowboarder Malena Zamfirova has won the 10th Winter Piotr Nurowski Prize of Europe’s National Olympic Committees (NOCs) for the Best European Young Athlete. Voting took place among NOCs on the opening day of the 45th EOC Seminar and Olympic Solidarity Forum in Malta, with the award ceremony held later that evening.
“We are very happy that our exceptionally talented girl has been recognized by all committees across Europe. When submitting the nomination, we could not have imagined that tonight a Bulgarian athlete would be on stage, holding the top prize,” Vesela Lecheva, president-elect of the Bulgarian Olympic Committee, said.
As the winner, the 16-year-old received a cheque for EUR 15, 000, the largest cash prize, which she plans to invest in her training. 
Zamfirova won gold in the team parallel slalom and silver in both the parallel slalom and parallel giant slalom at the FIS Junior World Championships in Zakopane, Poland, in March.
Hours before the vote, Malena delivered a powerful speech to the delegates, defending the retention of the parallel giant slalom in the Olympic programme. Participating in the 45th EOC Seminar as one of the five finalists, she received special congratulations from EOC President Spyros Capralos and European Commissioner Glenn Micallef.
Zamfirova caused a sensation in the snowboarding world when, at only 15 years old, she won second place at the World Cup in Krynica, Poland, in March, defeating established champions along the way. She also won a gold medal at the World Junior Championships in Zakopane, Poland, alongside her brother Tervel.
The EOC’s Piotr Nurowski Prize commemorates Piotr Nurowski, the President of the Polish Olympic Committee and EOC Executive Committee member, who died in the 2010 plane crash near Smolensk, Russia, which also claimed the life of the President of Poland. Since 2016, two prizes have been awarded each year – one for summer and one for winter sports. The winner receives a trophy and a training scholarship.