[2][4] He repeated as national champion in 1973 and 1974; at the 1974 European Championships in Rome he was eliminated in the semi-finals, but set a new Bulgarian record of 50.66.

[2][4] In 1975 Bratanov won bronze at the European Indoor Championships in Katowice as the Bulgarian team's anchor in the 4 × 2 laps relay.

[2][5] Bratanov set his personal best in the 400 m hurdles, 49.77, in Fürth on 13 June 1976; he was the first Bulgarian to break 50 seconds.

[1] In total, Bratanov was a seven-time Bulgarian champion; five times outdoors in the 400 m hurdles (1972, 1973, 1974, 1978 and 1979) and twice indoors over 400 m (1974 and 1975).

Initially, he coached in Bulgaria, moving to Qatar in 1992;[2][8] his Qatari pupils included Asian champions Samuel Francis and Femi Ogunode.