Swimmer Viktor Druzin from the Karaganda Region has been named one of the top five athletes of the year by World Aquatics (the international governing body for aquatic sports). The winner in the "Male Artistic Swimmer of the Year" category will be determined through an open vote.

Competing alongside the Kazakhstani athlete for this prestigious award are Ranjuo Tomblin (Great Britain), Gustavo Sánchez (Colombia), Muye Guo (China), and Filippo Pelati (Italy).

This year has been highly successful for Viktor Druzin in international competition. In June, he won bronze in the technical solo event at the World Cup Super Final in Toronto, while also securing silver in the free routine and bronze in the mixed duet alongside Nargiza Bolatova. In July, at the Asian Championships in Bangkok, the athlete from Karaganda took gold in the technical solo, becoming a continental champion for the second time. In August, Viktor Druzin placed third at the World Junior Championships in Budapest. At the 2026 Asian Games, he reached the third step of the podium as part of Kazakhstan’s mixed team.

The athlete is coached by Elena Kotova.

The Department of Physical Culture and Sports of the Karaganda Region encourages local residents to support their fellow countryman.

To cast your vote, visit the official World Aquatics Instagram page (https://www.instagram.com/world_aquatics/), locate the post featuring nominees in the "Artistic Swimming | Men" category, and "like" the comment that mentions @druzin.viktor. The winner will be determined based on the number of likes received by the comments supporting each athlete.

Source : https://www.gov.kz/memleket/entities/karaganda/press/news/details/1309890?lang=ru