10-year-old Filipino math whiz wins gold in international math olympiad

10-year-old Filipino math whiz wins gold in international math olympiad

A 10-year-old math whiz from Olongapo City brought honor to the Philippines by winning the gold medal in a prestigious international math olympiad in New York City.

10-year-old Francis Deinmel Legaspi proudly waves the Philippine flag during the 4th Copernicus International Math Olympiad Global Round hosted at Columbia University in New York, United States. With sheer brilliance, he secures the gold medal, bringing victory and honor to the Philippines. (Photo courtesy of Dennis Legaspi)

Francis Deinmel Legaspi, incoming Grade 5 student at the Special Education for the Gifted in Subic, topped the 2023 Copernicus International Math Olympiad, beating more than 100 finalists from 22 countries, as reported on "GMA's 24 Oras."

The Copernicus International Math Olympiad is a global competition that challenges students from 3rd to 12th grade in Mathematics and Astronomy.

But this wasn't the first time Legaspi received this type of award. Legaspi has also bagged gold medals in other math contests held in different countries. 

Before, the young Filipino won gold medals in similar math competitions like the Hong Kong International Math Olympiad, Thailand International Math Olympiad, Southeast Asia Math Olympiad, Philippine International Math Olympiad, and World International Math Olympiad.

Legaspi's parents, Dennis and Jesica, thanked Senator Sonny Angara for his continuous support to their son since he started joining international math competitions at the age of six. They also acknowledged his school principal, Abdon C. Bayla, and his personal math coach, Ricardo Quejado.