Bulgarian student Miroslav Draganov has won gold at the 19th International Olympiad on Astronomy and Astrophysics (IOAA). Draganov studies at the Burgas Mathematics High School "Acad. Nikola Obreshkov". The olympiad took place in Hanoi, Vietnam, and all five Bulgarians on the team came home with medals: two gold, two silver and one bronze, the education ministry says.

The second gold went to Svetoslav Arabov from "Dr Petar Beron" Mathematics High School in Varna. Martin Nedev from "Acad. Boyan Petkanchin" Mathematics High School in Haskovo and Krasimir Stankov from "Baba Tonka" Mathematics High School in Ruse took silver, while the bronze went to Anton Stoyanov, also a student at the Varna maths school.

About 320 students from dozens of countries competed in three rounds: theory, observation and data analysis. The Bulgarians showed knowledge and practical skills in astronomy and astrophysics in each round, the ministry says, calling the result a remarkable achievement for Bulgaria.

The national team was led by Nikola Karavasilev from the Union of Astronomers in Bulgaria and Miroslav Radomirov from the Faculty of Physics at Sofia University "St. Kliment Ohridski".

Turkey will host the 20th olympiad next August.