Male student successfully changed direction, won Gold Medal at International Olympiad in Informatics

Hoang Xuan Bach - Gold Medal winner of the 2024 International Olympiad in Informatics. Photo: NVCC

Unexpected turn

Hoang Xuan Bach is one of two Vietnamese students who won a Gold Medal at the 2024 International Olympiad in Informatics, helping the Vietnamese team enter the group of 4 countries with the highest results in the medal tally, after the US, Japan and Poland.

Hoang Xuan Bach shared that he was very happy to have achieved the expected results. According to the regulations, candidates need to be in the top 30 to win the Gold Medal. On the first day of the competition, he ranked 46/353 candidates, but then made a comeback, returned to the top 30 and maintained the 29th position until the end of the competition. With this result, Bach became the owner of the prestigious Gold Medal.

Before this success, Bach had a long list of achievements. Previously, Bach was a "math person", participating in many intellectual playgrounds for this subject. In grade 4, he won second prize in the national English Math ViOlympic. In grade 5, Bach won a Silver Medal at the International Mathematics and Science Competition (IMSO) held in China. In grade 6, he continued to win a Gold Medal at the Asia- Pacific Mathematical Olympiad (APMOPS) in Singapore and a Gold Medal at the 16th International Mathematics and Science Competition, etc.

The year Bach was in 7th grade was also the time when the Covid-19 pandemic broke out, students had to stay home and study online. Bach felt sad because he could not go to class with teachers and friends. His mother encouraged him to study IT. From here, a new turning point opened up for this young man. He started to study and research a lot of documents about IT. Bach was interested in IT and asked his parents to let him pursue IT instead of math.

According to Bach, IT requires creativity, when doing the test, he always feels excited and passionate. Starting later than many of his classmates who have specialized in IT for a long time, Bach has tried many times harder. Bach's unexpected change in direction brought good results beyond expectations. In grade 8, after only nearly half a year of self-study and a "basic" course on IT, the young man won a place in the IT competition team of Hanoi - Amsterdam High School for the Gifted (junior high school) and was a student who advanced to the city level to compete in the city-level excellent student competition. Not disappointing his teachers and family, Bach excellently "won" the second prize. In addition, Bach also won the first prize in the national Youth IT competition this school year.

The secret to good study is diligence and initiative.

Pursuing IT, the male student did not neglect math. In grade 9, he was still selected for the city-level math competition and won second prize. In grade 11, Bach achieved outstanding results, winning first prize in the national IT competition with the highest score nationwide. He was selected to compete in the 2024 Asia- Pacific Olympiad in Informatics and won a Silver Medal. When competing in the 2024 International Olympiad in Informatics, the young man from the capital successfully changed the color of his medal.

Despite achieving a series of “huge” achievements, Bach shared that he does not have any special study secrets, but simply works hard and is proactive in studying. He often spends a lot of time in a day on IT. Some days, he is passionate about writing code and programming for 14 hours straight. Bach also often participates in online competitions organized by international IT forums to gain more experience in exams and learn more knowledge.

To have the success he has today, Bach is grateful to his teachers and family who have always been there to encourage, support, guide and orient him. Ms. Le Thi Thu Huyen - Bach's mother said that the family did not put pressure on her child but only encouraged her to study hard, compete hard, and have clear goals to strive for in her studies. When she has tried her best, all results are worth cherishing. With these strong "rear supports", Bach has more motivation to conquer challenges.

In the future, Bach wants to pursue fields related to his strengths such as information technology and computer science. Currently, Bach said he will continue to focus on studying to complete high school. In addition, he plans to study abroad, so he will equip himself with knowledge, skills, and take the necessary certificates to have a solid foundation to realize his dream.

Source: https://danviet.vn/nam-sinh-re-huong-thanh-cong-doat-huy-chuong-vang-olympic-tin-hoc-quoc-te-20240925064506941.htm