St. Jude math whiz bags gold medal in China

Published by rudy Date posted on August 16, 2009

MANILA, Philippines – Young Filipino math aces did it again, winning a total of 90 medals in three international math competitions hosted by the People’s Republic of China.

Carmela Lao, a high school student of St. Jude Catholic School, bagged on Sunday the country’s first ever gold medal in the 8th China Girls’ Math Olympiad, held in Xiamen from Aug. 11 to 16.

Lao, a ward of the Mathematics Trainers’ Guild-Phils. (MTG), pocketed a silver medal during last month’s International Math Olympiad in Bremen, Germany.

The other members of the Philippine team were Geraldine Baniqued from St. Paul’s College-Pasig, Sarah Jane Cua from the Pangasinan Universal Institute in Dagupan City and Bianca Sing from Chiang Kai Shek College in Manila.

Baniqued won a silver medal in the same competition in 2008. The team also got the Best Performance Award and second place overall in the contest’s dance aerobics event.

A total of 51 teams from seven countries took part in the contest. Aside from host China and the Philippines, the other participants came from the United States, Russia, Hong Kong, Macau, and Singapore.

Meanwhile, another MTG team won nine silver and 34 bronze medals in the 2009 China Junior High School Math Olympiad, held Aug. 5 to 9 in Tianjin, according to Dr. Simon Chua, MTG president.

On the other hand, the MTG team that competed in the China Primary Math Olympiad, also held in Tianjin, took home six silver and 40 bronze medals.

In 2008, the Philippines won 85 medals from the same contests.

“MTG is very proud that Filipino students have again won in international math contests. The contests were difficult but our youth math wizards rose above the challenge and triumphed,” said Chua, who led the Philippine delegations to the Xiamen and Tianjin contests.

Established in 1995, MTG will host the 2009 Philippine International Math Competition in Iloilo City next November.

Its student-trainees have won over 1,300 medals in various foreign math contests during the past 14 years. –Jerry E. Esplanada, Philippine Daily Inquirer