Paco Javier wins gold in PhIMO Final Round

Six Ateneo de Manila Junior High School mathletes won one gold, one silver, and four bronze medals in the Philippine International Mathematical Olympiad (PhIMO) Final Round, which was held onsite in Davao City and online on September 23, 2023. 

The gold medal winner was Paco Javier (7-Alfonso), who competed in the Primary 6 division. The silver medalist is Matt Galang (7-Baena), who also competed in the Primary 6 division. Bagging bronzes for the Primary 6 division were Paulo De Belen (7-Alonso), Martin Gan (7-Ashley), and Daniel Roh (7-Aranha). The fourth bronze was secured by Aegean Nakila (9-Ishida), who competed in the Secondary 2 division.    

The Ateneans who competed in the Primary 6 division were coached by Ateneo de Manila Grade School math faculty Javy Inumerable.  

Per the PhIMO website, the Philippine International Mathematical Olympiad is a Philippine-hosted international contest aimed to engage students from around the world in a battle of wits, mettle, and mathematical abilities. The PhIMO Final Round 2023 attracted 600 onsite participants from Australia, Cambodia, Indonesia, Iran, Japan, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam. More than 500 participants from these ten countries participated online. Of the PhIMO Final Round’s more than 1100 participants, 234 were gold medalists, 250 were silver medalists, and 383 were bronze medalists.

Now in its third year, the PhIMO is the newest and most sophisticated international mathematics competition among kindergarten to grade 12 students. It is designed to honor the world’s best learners in mathematical problem-solving through friendly competition, and to foster cultural exchange among its participating countries.