champion (champions plural & 3rd person present) (championing present participle) (championed past tense & past participle )
1 n-count A champion is someone who has won the first prize in a competition, contest, or fight.
...a former Olympic champion...
2 n-count If you are a champion of a person, a cause, or a principle, you support or defend them.
He was once known as a champion of social reform.
3 verb If you champion a person, a cause, or a principle, you support or defend them.
He passionately championed the poor... V n