Four high-school students claimed one gold, one silver and two bronze medals at the International Olympiad in Informatics in Kazan, Russia, which ended yesterday.
Ho Ta-jui (何達睿), a student from National Experimental High School at Hsinchu Science Park who took home a gold medal, was the nation’s top-performing contestant, ranking No. 8 globally.
Yu Po-hsu (余柏序), a student from Kaohsiung Municipal Senior High School, won a silver medal, while Kang Chiao Bilingual School student Yang Hao-cheng (楊皓丞) and Taipei Private Yan Ping High School student Yan Jui-nan (顏睿楠) each won a bronze medal.
China, including contestants from Hong Kong and Macau, finished with three gold, one silver and three bronze medals.
Japan and South Korea finished with two gold and two silver medals each.
Taiwan won two gold medals, one silver and one bronze in the Olympiad in Kazakhstan last year.
National Taiwan Normal University professor Lee Chung-mou (李忠謀), who coached the team, said the results showed that the nation’s performance has not strayed far from expectations.
He said that the style of the questions devised by the International Scientific Committee this year differed from that of past competitions, adding that after the event’s first day, the students had to respond to the changes by modifying their strategies.
He said that Ho, who achieved a score of 465 points, remained collected throughout the competition and managed to score consistently, even in the final minutes of the competition.
Lee said that he and other teachers would continue to cultivate the students’ informatics skills to help them reach their full potential in computer programming.
Ho, who is in the 11th grade, said that his journey in informatics was not always as smooth as people might think.
He said that he signed up for a program to choose members of the national team for the Olympiad when he started high school, but was eliminated in the first stage.
Unfazed by the setback, Ho said he immersed himself in the world of informatics over the past year and often trained for up to five hours per day.
His hard work and determination paid off when he advanced in a series of regional informatics competitions and made it to a national contest, which greatly improved his ranking and earned him a place on the national team, Ho said.
Ho said that he hopes people will remember him not for his achievements, but rather for his persistence and determination.
The Ministry of Education said that Ho is to receive an award of NT$200,000, a letter of recommendation from the ministry when he applies for university and acceptance to his preferred informatics-related deparment.
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