European Aquatics Athlete of the Year Awards 2025: Constantin Popovici voted best men’s high diver

Romania’s Constantin Popovici has been crowned the men’s high diving winner at the 2025 European Aquatics Athlete of the Year Awards, following a public vote that recognised his sustained excellence across one of the most demanding and highly competitive seasons in recent memory.

Popovici topped the ballot with 35.06% of the vote, prevailing in a closely fought contest that showcased the breadth of talent within European men’s high diving and highlighted the continent’s continued dominance at the sport’s highest level.

The cornerstone of Popovici’s campaign came at the World Aquatics Championships in Singapore, where he came out on top of a three-way battle for the beonze medal After an uneven opening, the Romanian responded with a succession of high-calibre dives in the latter stages of the competition to climb onto the podium, securing third place with a huge score of 141.00 when it mattered most.

He reinforced that performance at the World Aquatics High Diving World Cup stop at Porto Flavia, producing another assured display to claim second place, as the 37-year-old showed that he has much more to give in the sport.

Across the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series, Popovici was a constant factor at the sharp end of the standings. Remaining in the title hunt until the final round, he eventually finished second overall, a reflection of both his consistency and his capacity to handle the increasing technical demands of the circuit’s iconic venues, and making him arguably the most consistent performer across the three major fixtures in 2025.

Spain’s Carlos Gimeno placed second in the voting with 20.11%, following a breakthrough year that included silver at the World Championships, a podium finish at the World Cup and third place overall in the Red Bull series – with memorable victories in the Filipino and Italian stages of the competition.

His World Championships performances also saw him just a small handful of points away from the world title in a year that defined him as one to watch for 2026.

Third place went to Italy’s Andrea Barnaba, who collected 19.72% of the vote after a season highlighted by a joint sixth-place finish in Singapore and a series of strong performances in the Red Bull events that signalled his growing presence at elite level. With the discipline growing in status with each passing year, there’s no doubt he will look to continue to make his mark on the field in the coming years.

France’s veteran high diver Gary Hunt finished fourth with 14.71%. Whilst placing sixth at the World Championships, Hunt’s season was defined by his ability to deliver across varied conditions, a quality that ultimately earned him the overall Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series title thanks to a series of consistent finishes in a year where others struggled to maintain their performances.

Rounding out the shortlist was another Romanian, Catalin Preda, with 10.33%. Preda’s fifth-place finish at the World Championships and further solid results throughout the World Cup and Red Bull competitions continued to demonstrate the depth of Romania’s strength in men’s high diving.

Stephen Stanley for European Aquatics

The post European Aquatics Athlete of the Year Awards 2025: Constantin Popovici voted best men’s high diver first appeared on European Aquatics®.