Born into a volleyball-breathing family, Simeon Nikolov came to this U19 World Championship with the desire to lead his team to the podium. A promising victory against Slovenia in the opening match set the stage for Bulgaria, that will seek to overcome a highly demanding group stage in order to repeat a medal after winning silver in the 2021 edition.

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"I think we have the toughest group in the World Championship, so I believe we need to be concentrated throughout every single game. We have a very important match now against Japan which, if we manage to win, will put us closer to finish second in the group. From there we can begin to think about the quarterfinals, but for now, we need to focus on the next game."

The setter is the son of the legendary Vladimir Nikolov, captain and icon of the Bulgarian National Team that earned bronze medals in the 2006 World Championship, the 2007 World Cup and the 2009 European Championship. But the legacy also continues with his older brother Aleksandar, one of the most promising players in the world at just 20 years old.

"I’m very blessed that my father and my brother are two volleyball legends. Maybe not yet my brother, but he’s definitely on the right path. I’m very happy to have people that can help me whenever I need them. The advice I remember the most from them is to give my all on the court so that when the game is finished, I don’t have any regrets", he said about this solid family heritage.

Bulgaria's first step in the World Championship came after an impeccable performance by Simeon, leading them to the victory in a tie-breaker with 16 points -5 aces, 4 blocks, and 7 attacks-. However, the team's second presentation ended with a defeat against France, the European runner-up. This did not discourage the young Nikolov, who trusts in his team's abilities to bounce back in the upcoming matches: "We just need to clear some difficulties. We’re making a lot of mistakes, but apart from that, we’re playing well. Mentally, we are kind of stuck in a spot and we need to start evolving, but I’m sure we’re gonna break it out with the team."

Per il palleggiatore, si tratta del suo primo Campionato del Mondo, e ha espresso la sua gioia nel vivere questo momento:

"Sono molto felice di essere qui. Ho avuto un infortunio un paio di settimane fa, quindi sono molto fortunato ad essere qui".

Inoltre, l'esperienza ha un significato speciale per lui, in quanto è stato scelto come capitano della squadra:

"Mi sento molto orgoglioso. Per molti potrebbe non sembrare una cosa importante, ma per me è come se guidassi la squadra e la aiutassi quando ne ha bisogno. Sono molto felice della decisione dell'allenatore e farò del mio meglio ogni giorno per dimostrare che merito di essere il capitano di questa squadra".

Riguardo al suo desiderio finale per questo torneo a San Juan, Simeon ha espresso: "Sicuramente il mio obiettivo qui è ottenere una medaglia. Penso che abbiamo le carte in regola per salire sul podio, quindi dobbiamo solo lavorare molto duramente, essere concentrati e dimostrarlo agli altri".

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FIVB Volleyball Boys' U19 World Championship
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