Alexander Tihomirov – One of Bulgaria’s talented children

Seventh-grader Alexander Tihomirov from Ivan Vazov School in Vidin is a true source of pride not only for his family, but also for his hometown. At the age of 14, he has already won numerous awards in English language competitions at national and international level.

 “My son’s love for languages became evident at a very early age through his curiosity about words, in particular, the way English words sound”, his mother, Gabriela Monova, told BNR Vidin. “He began participating in a series of competitions, through which he has demonstrated his confidence and knowledge. He has twice been a national finalist in the Kangaroo Global Linguistics (KGL) contest (the world's premier English language competition for students aged 8-17) in 2024 and 2025. In 2025, he took part in the international English language contest HIPPO in Sofia and qualified for the playoff round in Brighton, UK, but was unable to attend”, says Gabriela Monova.  

Alexander Tihomirov has won four gold medals in the “Mnogoznayko” competition, received awards in two consecutive years in the “Kangaroo” competition, and has participated for two consecutive years in the international Erasmus project — in Italy in 2024 and in Valencia in 2025. He was also nominated for the 2025 “Successful Children of Bulgaria” awards of the Dimitar Berbatov Foundation.

“At the end of the school year, I took part in a project in Valencia, Spain. We spent two weeks participating in a very interesting psychological program focused on critical thinking and how to socialize effectively. I really like English because it not only allows people to express thoughts and emotions in diverse and complex ways, but also because some words can carry many different meanings”, Alex explains.

This year has started promisingly for the young student. In January, he passed another English language exam — an entrance-format test — scoring 27 out of a maximum of 30 points. Through his own knowledge and hard work, the young Bulgarian has earned the opportunity to take part in this year’s Embassy Summer language programme, which will be held on the campus of the University of Sussex in Brighton.

Edited by Vesela Krasteva

Based on an interview by Nedka Lilkova for BNR – Radio Vidin

Translated by Kostadin Atanasov