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Christo Popov
Personal information
Country	France
Born	(2002-03-08) 8 March 2002 (age 22) Sofia, Bulgaria
Residence	Fos-sur-Mer, France
Height	1.79 m (5 ft 10 in)
Handedness	Left
Men's singles & doubles
Highest ranking	20 (MS, 2 April 2024) 20 (MD with Toma Junior Popov, 11 October 2022)
Current ranking	26 (MS) 39 (MD with Toma Junior Popov) (16 July 2024)
Medal record Men's badminton Representing  France European Games 2023 Kraków–Małopolska Men's singles 2023 Kraków–Małopolska Men's doubles European Men's Team Championships 2024 Łódź Men's team 2020 Liévin Men's team European Mixed Team Championships 2021 Vantaa Mixed team 2023 Aire-sur-la-Lys Mixed team World Junior Championships 2019 Kazan Boys' singles European Junior Championships 2017 Mulhouse Mixed team 2018 Tallinn Mixed team 2020 Lahti Boys' singles 2018 Tallinn Boys' singles 2020 Lahti Mixed team 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. He reached a career high as boys' singles World Junior number 1 in January 2020. 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

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.

Career

Christo Popov started playing badminton at the age of 5. 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. He later won the boys' singles silver medals at the 2018 European and 2019 World Junior Championships. He managed to win the 2017 Italian Junior International, Danish Junior Cup, also 2018 and 2019 Hungarian Junior International.

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. Christo Popov topped the boys' singles World Junior Ranking on 7 January 2020. He won the men's singles in the 2020 French national championships and in doing so became the youngest ever winner of the competition 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. 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.

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. In May, he received the BEC Young Player of the Year and European Fan Player of the Yeat by the Badminton Europe. 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.

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

European Games

Men's singles

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

Men's doubles

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

BWF World Junior Championships

Boys' singles

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

European Junior Championships

Boys' singles

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

Mixed doubles

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

BWF World Tour (2 titles)

The BWF World Tour, which was announced on 19 March 2017 and implemented in 2018, 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.

Men's singles

Year	Tournament	Level	Opponent	Score	Result
2024	German Open	Super 300	Rasmus Gemke	21–17, 21–16	Winner
2024	Hylo Open	Super 300	Toma Junior Popov	21–13, 21–10	Winner

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

Men's singles

Year	Tournament	Opponent	Score	Result
2019	Italian International	Subhankar Dey	21–16, 22–20	Winner
2022	Ukraine Open	Ong Ken Yon	21–14, 22–20	Winner
2022	Nantes International	Mads Christophersen	8–21, 21–11, 14–21	Runner-up
2022	Dutch Open	Mads Christophersen	25–23, 21–10	Winner

Men's doubles

Year	Tournament	Partner	Opponent	Score	Result
2018	Bulgarian Open	Toma Junior Popov	Chen Yu-jun Lin Bing-wei	17–21, 21–7, 21–17	Winner
2019	Italian International	Toma Junior Popov	Bjarne Geiss Jan Colin Völker	18–21, 16–21	Runner-up

  BWF International Challenge tournament

  BWF International Series tournament

  BWF Future Series tournament

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

Boys' singles

Year	Tournament	Opponent	Score	Result
2017	Hungarian Junior International	Ondřej Král	10–12, 11–6, 11–4, 11–13, 10–12	Runner-up
2017	Italian Junior International	Julien Carraggi	21–15, 21–11	Winner
2017	Romanian Junior International	Arnaud Merklé	14–21, 10–21	Runner-up
2017	Danish Junior Cup	Karl Thor Søndergaard	21–16, 21–13	Winner
2018	Hungarian Junior International	Arnaud Merklé	21–18, 10–21, 21–7	Winner
2018	Spanish Junior International	Arnaud Merklé	21–16, 9–21, 13–21	Runner-up
2019	Hungarian Junior International	Axel Henrik Parkhøi	21–9, 18–21, 21–10	Winner
2019	Jakarta Junior International	Syabda Perkasa Belawa	14–21, 17–21	Runner-up
2020	Dutch Junior International	Jin Yong	21–14, 21–10	Winner

  BWF Junior International Grand Prix tournament

  BWF Junior International Challenge tournament

  BWF Junior International Series tournament

  BWF Junior Future Series tournament

References

1. ^ "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.

External links

• Christo Popov at BWF.TournamentSoftware.com
• Christo Popov at BWFBadminton.com

• 2002 births
• Living people
• Sportspeople from Sofia
• Bulgarian emigrants to France
• Sportspeople from Bouches-du-Rhône
• French male badminton players
• Badminton players at the 2024 Summer Olympics
• Olympic badminton players for France
• Badminton players at the 2023 European Games
• European Games silver medalists for France
• European Games bronze medalists for France
• European Games medalists in badminton
• 21st-century French sportsmen