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Christo Popov

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Christo Popov
Personal information
CountryFrance
Born (2002-03-08) 8 March 2002 (age 22)
Sofia, Bulgaria
ResidenceFos-sur-Mer, France
Height1.79 m (5 ft 10 in)
HandednessLeft
Men's singles & doubles
Highest ranking20 (MS, 2 April 2024)
20 (MD with Toma Junior Popov, 11 October 2022)
Current ranking26 (MS)
39 (MD with Toma Junior Popov) (16 July 2024)
Medal record
Men's badminton
Representing  France
European Games
Silver medal – second place 2023 Kraków–Małopolska Men's singles
Bronze medal – third place 2023 Kraków–Małopolska Men's doubles
European Men's Team Championships
Silver medal – second place 2024 Łódź Men's team
Bronze medal – third place 2020 Liévin Men's team
European Mixed Team Championships
Silver medal – second place 2021 Vantaa Mixed team
Silver medal – second place 2023 Aire-sur-la-Lys Mixed team
World Junior Championships
Silver medal – second place 2019 Kazan Boys' singles
European Junior Championships
Gold medal – first place 2017 Mulhouse Mixed team
Gold medal – first place 2018 Tallinn Mixed team
Gold medal – first place 2020 Lahti Boys' singles
Silver medal – second place 2018 Tallinn Boys' singles
Silver medal – second place 2020 Lahti Mixed team
Bronze medal – third place 2020 Lahti Mixed doubles
BWF profile

Christo Popov (born 8 March 2002) is a French badminton player who affiliate with Fos club. He was the boys' doubles European U15 and U17 Junior Champions, also won the boys' singles silver medals at the 2018 European and 2019 World Junior Championships.[1] He reached a career high as boys' singles World Junior number 1 in January 2020.[2] He then clinched the boys' singles title at the 2020 European Junior Championships. In 2024, he became the first Frenchman to reach the semi-finals of the All England Open.

Early life

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Christo Popov was born in Sofia, Bulgaria. He comes from a family featuring other professional badminton players. His father, Thomas, played for and coached the Bulgarian national team; his mother, Tzvetomira, was a national badminton referee; and his older brother, Toma Junior Popov, was a 2017 European Junior Champion.[1]

Career

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Christo Popov started playing badminton at the age of 5.[3] He won the European U15 and U17 Junior Champions in the boys' doubles event with Kenji Lovang in 2016 and 2017 respectively, also finished as boys' singles U15 runner-up in 2016.[4][5] He later won the boys' singles silver medals at the 2018 European and 2019 World Junior Championships.[6] He managed to win the 2017 Italian Junior International, Danish Junior Cup, also 2018 and 2019 Hungarian Junior International.[1]

At the age of 16, he already won the senior international tournament at the 2018 Bulgarian Open in the men's doubles event with his brother Toma Junior Popov.[7] Christo Popov topped the boys' singles World Junior Ranking on 7 January 2020.[8] He won the men's singles in the 2020 French national championships and in doing so became the youngest ever winner of the competition [9] At the 2020 European Men's and Women's Team Badminton Championships he won the bronze medal with the French national team. In March 2020, he claimed his first BWF Junior International Grand Prix title by winning the Dutch Junior tournament.[10] At the 2020 European Junior Championships in Lahti, Finland, Popov claimed three medals, winning a gold in the boys' singles, a silver in the team, and a bronze in the mixed doubles events.[11]

In 2021, Popov opened the season by participating at the European Mixed Team Championships together with the French national team. The team finished as the finalist and won the silver medal.[12] In May, he received the BEC Young Player of the Year and European Fan Player of the Yeat by the Badminton Europe.[13] At the 2021 Spain Masters, he finished as a men's doubles semi-finalist, losing to the eventual winner, Indonesia's Pramudya Kusumawardana and Yeremia Rambitan.[14]

In 2024, Christo won two Super 300 Titles, both achieved in Germany which are the German Open and the Hylo open. In the German Open, he defeated Danish Rasmus Gemke in two straight sets. Later in November, he defeated his own older brother Toma Junior Popov in the Hylo Open finals.

Achievements

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European Games

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Men's singles

Year Venue Opponent Score Result
2023 Arena Jaskółka, Tarnów, Poland Denmark Viktor Axelsen 21–16, 16–21, 11–21 Silver Silver

Men's doubles

Year Venue Partner Opponent Score Result
2023 Arena Jaskółka,
Tarnów, Poland 		France Toma Junior Popov United Kingdom Ben Lane
United Kingdom Sean Vendy 		15–21, 14–21 Bronze Bronze

BWF World Junior Championships

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Boys' singles

Year Venue Opponent Score Result
2019 Kazan Gymnastics Center, Kazan, Russia Thailand Kunlavut Vitidsarn 8–21, 11–21 Silver Silver

European Junior Championships

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Boys' singles

Year Venue Opponent Score Result
2018 Kalev Sports Hall, Tallinn, Estonia France Arnaud Merklé 7–21, 14–21 Silver Silver
2020 Pajulahti Sports Institute, Lahti, Finland France Yanis Gaudin 21–9, 21–18 Gold Gold

Mixed doubles

Year Venue Partner Opponent Score Result
2020 Pajulahti Sports Institute,
Lahti, Finland 		France Flavie Vallet Sweden Gustav Bjorkler
Sweden Edith Urell 		18–21, 21–13, 15–21 Bronze Bronze

BWF World Tour (2 titles)

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The BWF World Tour, which was announced on 19 March 2017 and implemented in 2018,[15] is a series of elite badminton tournaments sanctioned by the Badminton World Federation (BWF). The BWF World Tour is divided into levels of World Tour Finals, Super 1000, Super 750, Super 500, Super 300 (part of the BWF World Tour), and the BWF Tour Super 100.[16]

Men's singles

Year Tournament Level Opponent Score Result
2024 German Open Super 300 Denmark Rasmus Gemke 21–17, 21–16 1st place, gold medalist(s) Winner
2024 Hylo Open Super 300 France Toma Junior Popov 21–13, 21–10 1st place, gold medalist(s) Winner

BWF International Challenge/Series (4 titles, 2 runners-up)

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Men's singles

Year Tournament Opponent Score Result
2019 Italian International India Subhankar Dey 21–16, 22–20 1st place, gold medalist(s) Winner
2022 Ukraine Open Malaysia Ong Ken Yon 21–14, 22–20 1st place, gold medalist(s) Winner
2022 Nantes International Denmark Mads Christophersen 8–21, 21–11, 14–21 2nd place, silver medalist(s) Runner-up
2022 Dutch Open Denmark Mads Christophersen 25–23, 21–10 1st place, gold medalist(s) Winner

Men's doubles

Year Tournament Partner Opponent Score Result
2018 Bulgarian Open France Toma Junior Popov Chinese Taipei Chen Yu-jun
Chinese Taipei Lin Bing-wei 		17–21, 21–7, 21–17 1st place, gold medalist(s) Winner
2019 Italian International France Toma Junior Popov Germany Bjarne Geiss
Germany Jan Colin Völker 		18–21, 16–21 2nd place, silver medalist(s) Runner-up
  BWF International Challenge tournament
  BWF International Series tournament
  BWF Future Series tournament

BWF Junior International (5 titles, 4 runners-up)

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Boys' singles

Year Tournament Opponent Score Result
2017 Hungarian Junior International Czech Republic Ondřej Král 10–12, 11–6, 11–4, 11–13, 10–12 2nd place, silver medalist(s) Runner-up
2017 Italian Junior International Belgium Julien Carraggi 21–15, 21–11 1st place, gold medalist(s) Winner
2017 Romanian Junior International France Arnaud Merklé 14–21, 10–21 2nd place, silver medalist(s) Runner-up
2017 Danish Junior Cup Denmark Karl Thor Søndergaard 21–16, 21–13 1st place, gold medalist(s) Winner
2018 Hungarian Junior International France Arnaud Merklé 21–18, 10–21, 21–7 1st place, gold medalist(s) Winner
2018 Spanish Junior International France Arnaud Merklé 21–16, 9–21, 13–21 2nd place, silver medalist(s) Runner-up
2019 Hungarian Junior International Denmark Axel Henrik Parkhøi 21–9, 18–21, 21–10 1st place, gold medalist(s) Winner
2019 Jakarta Junior International Indonesia Syabda Perkasa Belawa 14–21, 17–21 2nd place, silver medalist(s) Runner-up
2020 Dutch Junior International South Korea Jin Yong 21–14, 21–10 1st place, gold medalist(s) Winner
  BWF Junior International Grand Prix tournament
  BWF Junior International Challenge tournament
  BWF Junior International Series tournament
  BWF Junior Future Series tournament

References

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  1. ^ a b c "Badminton Europe Magazine: Christo Popov". Badminton Europe. Retrieved 4 May 2020.
  2. ^ "Christo Popov numéro 1 mondial" (in French). Fédération Française de Badminton. 8 January 2020. Retrieved 4 May 2020.
  3. ^ "Christo Popov" (in French). Team Popov. Retrieved 4 May 2020.
  4. ^ Phelan, Mark (1 March 2016). "Broad dispersal of medals in Kazan". Badminton Europe. Retrieved 4 May 2020.
  5. ^ "Badminton-Europe : Christo Popov en or en double, à Prague" (in French). La Provence. 29 November 2017. Retrieved 4 May 2020.
  6. ^ Raftery, Alan (25 November 2019). "Christo Popov: the hard work begins now". Badminton Europe. Retrieved 4 May 2020.
  7. ^ Lollike, Emma (17 August 2018). "Siblings succeed in Sofia". Badminton Europe. Retrieved 4 May 2020.
  8. ^ "Badminton : Christo Popov, l'as du volant". Le Parisien (in French). 1 February 2020. Retrieved 4 May 2020.
  9. ^ Sachetat, Raphaël (2 February 2020). "French Nationals – Popov enters history again". Badzine. Retrieved 11 April 2020.
  10. ^ Castela, Benoit (1 March 2020). "Dutch Junior 2020 : Christo Popov, numéro un mondial qui assume !" (in French). Badmania. Retrieved 11 April 2020.
  11. ^ Jiwani, Rory (8 November 2020). "Things we learnt as Popov and Shapovalova take European junior singles crowns". Olympic Channel. Retrieved 24 March 2021.
  12. ^ "EMTC 21 : Les Bleus, vice-champions d'Europe" (in French). Fédération Française de Badminton. 20 February 2021. Archived from the original on 4 March 2021. Retrieved 27 May 2021.
  13. ^ "Christo Popov récompensé par Badminton Europe" (in French). Fédération Française de Badminton. 4 May 2021. Archived from the original on 27 May 2021. Retrieved 27 May 2021.
  14. ^ Raftery, Alan (22 May 2021). "Will it be 11 out of 11 for Popov?". Badminton Europe. Archived from the original on 22 May 2021. Retrieved 27 May 2021.
  15. ^ Alleyne, Gayle (19 March 2017). "BWF Launches New Events Structure". Badminton World Federation. Archived from the original on 1 December 2017. Retrieved 29 November 2017.
  16. ^ Sukumar, Dev (10 January 2018). "Action-Packed Season Ahead!". Badminton World Federation. Archived from the original on 13 January 2018. Retrieved 15 January 2018.
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