Fifth-grader Georgi Genchev from Bansko won the title of “Champion of Champions“ at an international Olympiad in mental arithmetic in Egypt. Over 140 children from 8 countries participated in the competition, and the award came with a check.
“You just have to know that you can keep going and not give up“, Georgi tells BNT when asked how he achieves the highest honor. He says that about 100 children competed in the large hall, and the weather in Egypt was “quite, quite hot”.
A dozen gold medals in one year
The title is another award in the young mathematician's collection. In the last year alone, Georgi has won about a dozen gold medals and cups from competitions in Bulgaria and abroad. The medals, diplomas and cups already hardly fit in his home.
Maya Durchova, Georgi's mother, says that the main motivation comes from the child himself. When he is not too busy, he opens the laptop himself, takes the tests and starts solving problems. His family supports him and leaves him time to rest and meet friends when the workload becomes too great.
Calculus started in kindergarten
Georgi's interest in numbers appeared even before school. His mother says that even in kindergarten he would ask questions related to addition and subtraction. During trips, she would give him short tasks, and he would solve them quickly.
For Georgi, health comes first, and mathematics comes second. He says that with the help of his knowledge he wants to one day create technologies and new things that will help the world.
With his achievements, the fifth-grader hopes to encourage other children to follow his path and get involved in mathematics.
Sources: BNT