Astro Olympiad gold for city boy

Alankar Kotwal has always had stars in his eyes. Now, has a gold medal in his hands.

Alankar Kotwal has always had stars in his eyes. Now, has a gold medal in his hands.

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Kotwal, 18, an astronomy enthusiast and a first year student at the Indian Institute of Technology-Bombay was part of the astronomy Olympiad team that returned from International Olympiad in Astronomy and Astrophysics in Brazil on Wednesday with five medals. Kotwal won gold, in addition to sharing a special prize for the best performance in the astronomical data analysis round.

The five-member team, which includes three students from Maharashtra, has returned with three golds, a silver and a bronze. This is the fifth Indian Olympiad team — after the teams for math, physics, chemistry and biology — to return with a rich medal haul. Last year too, the team returned with three golds, a silver and a bronze. “The team was as strong as it has been in previous years,” said Mayank Vahia, national coordinator for the Indian Astronomy Olympiad programme.