Taiwan’s team at the International Chemistry Olympiad 2009 outshone their counterparts by winning the most gold medals on Sunday.
The four — Yang Hung-yee (楊泓翊) and Yeh Hsu-hang (葉旭航) from National Taichung First Senior High School, Chen Yang-ting (陳洋廷) from Taipei Municipal Jianguo High School and Yeh Chih-cheng (葉志成) from Affiliated Senior High School of National Taiwan Normal University — all won individual golds as well as taking the team performance gold medal.
Their performance topped the 67 countries in the competition at Cambridge University, England, and was the nation’s best showing since Taiwan began sending teams in 1992, Ministry of Education statistics showed.
Taiwan has dominated the contest twice in the past 18 years, but this was the first time every team member won a gold.
Chemistry professor Yeh Ming-chang (葉名蒼) of National Taiwan Normal University, one of the 20 professors coaching the team, said the coaches had expected some great results because the students had a thirst for knowledge.
“Unlike most students in Taiwan, they ask questions when they do not understand something,” Yeh said. “They have also spent time studying college-level chemistry.”
The ministry’s Department of Secondary Education said the team members would be entitled to receive recommendations for admission to any local university and would also be awarded NT$200,000 scholarships.
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