ILOILO City – An Ilonggo math wizard has again brought honor to Iloilo City and the country by winning a silver medal at the World Mathematics Invitational (WMI) Final Round 2023 at Yonsei University in Seoul, South Korea on July 15.
Gihun Ng Yoo was among the 1,275 contestants from the United States of America, China, Taiwan, Korea, Thailand, Indonesia, Philippines, Singapore, Malaysia, Nigeria, Hong Kong, Macau, and Iran, among others.
This incoming Grade 9 student at St. Joseph School Iloilo was the lone participant from Iloilo City who was part of the Philippine team.
WMI is a comprehensive competition. Students from kindergarten to senior high school can all participate in this event that covers different areas of mathematics.
Gihun admitted the competition was difficult and he did not expect to win a medal; he was surprised to get one.
A few days before the final round, Gihun caught dengue and was under medication.
“I didn’t want my preparation to go to waste,” he said.
Gihun got the support of his school especially his math teachers who took turn reviewing and preparing him for the competition.
He came to school thrice a week for his review. He was given questions focusing on polynomia square roots, geometry, factorization, linear functions, quadratic equations, Vieta’s formula, sequences and series, logical reasoning, word problems, and math puzzles of different levels of difficulty.
His coaches, Irish Mae Palomo and Albert Gumana, stressed that aside from preparing Gihun academically, they also made sure he received constant encouragement for him to be prepared mentally and emotionally.
Gihun first won at an international math competition in December 2022. He bagged bronze medals at the Asian Science and Mathematics Olympiad for Primary and Secondary Schools (ASMOPSS 12) in Bangli Regency, Bali, Indonesia.
He was one of the members of the 14-man Philippine team and the only one from Iloilo who competed in Indonesia.
Their feat was history-making as they were the first batch of students to compete internationally after the two-year hiatus in the in-person international competitions./PN
