2024-07-14 11:17:18
The best Bulgarian biology students performed excellently at the most prestigious biology tournament of the year in the world, winning three medals, announced the Association of Olympic Teams in Natural Sciences (SOOPN).
The team members won a full set of medals – one gold, at the same time with the ninth result in the world, one silver and one bronze from the 35th International Biology Olympiad (IBO), which was held in Kazakhstan. From July 10 to 14, the Bulgarians tested their knowledge with 320 students from 80 countries.
The gold medal was won by Victor Lilov (12th grade, SMG), who ranked 9th in the world among the best biology students. The silver went to Momchil Petkov (12th grade, NPMG), the bronze award went to Viktor-Alexander Radanov (12th grade, SMG), and Yavor Banov (12th grade, PPMG Burgas) did not get much. to enter the medal zone. Their supervisors are Prof. Dr. Albena Yordanova (Faculty of Medicine, SU), ch. assistant professor Dr. Radoslav Alexandrov (Institute of Molecular Biology, BAS) and PhD student Teodor Trifonov (Institute of Biodiversity, BAS).
So far, from all editions of the International Biology Olympiad, Bulgarian students have won a total of 81 medals – 10 gold, 17 silver and 54 bronze medals.
Viktor Lilov is a student in the 12th grade at SMG. He participated in the national biology team for the second time, having won a silver medal at the International Olympiad last year. Viktor started studying biology in the 6th grade, and from the 7th he participated in the national Olympiad in biology and ZO. The main “culprit” for dealing with this subject is his teacher Mrs. Miglena Georgieva. Victor is one of the best performing Olympians in science in 2023. He was part of the national teams in both biology and chemistry. Victor won a gold medal from the International Chemistry Olympiad, a silver medal from the International Biology Olympiad, and a silver medal from the International Mendeleev Chemistry Olympiad. This year he already won a gold medal from the International Mendeleev Chemistry Olympiad, which made him the first Bulgarian student with gold medals from the two most prestigious world chemistry competitions. Also with the medals won in biology and chemistry, Victor is our first Olympian to win honors at the same time from the two strongest international tournaments in biology and chemistry.
Viktor-Alexander Radanov is a 12th grade student at SMG. He participated for the first time in the national biology team of Bulgaria. Viktor-Alexander started to take biology more seriously in the 7th grade and since then every year he participates in the national Olympiad in biology and ZO. His biology teacher, Mrs. Tsvetana Hinkova, who supported him throughout his years in high school, made a major contribution to his development. Participation in the International Biology Olympiad is also the first international competition for Viktor-Alexander.
Yavor Banov is a student in the 12th grade at PPMG Burgas. He is part of the national biology team for the first time. From the 7th grade, Yavor knew that he wanted to study biology after school. In the 8th grade, he began to participate in the national Olympiad in Biology and Health, and he did not miss a year. Yavor thanks his biology teacher Mrs. Petya Lazarova for his passion for science and all the successes he has achieved so far. For him, the International Biology Olympiad is the first world competition as a participant, and until now he has been the leader of the BIMC 2023 International Mathematical Competition.
Momchil Petkov is a 12th grade student at NPMG. He is also a debutant on the national biology team this year. Momchil discovered his passion for biology as a child, when he regularly visited the Botanical Garden. From the 7th grade he started competing in the national Olympiad. Momchil thanked his teacher, Mrs. Tatiana Bobeva, who helped him immensely to turn his interest in biology into real knowledge. For him, this is the first participation in an international competition