15 years old Nigerian, wins global mathematics award

Faith Odunsi, 15, who recently won the Global Open Mathematics Tournament, an international competition with participants from Europe, Africa, America, Asia and Australia, shares her experience with ALEXANDER OKERE

What is your name and how old are you?

I am Faith Odunsi. I am 15 years old.

What class are you in and what is your state of origin?

I am in SS3. I am from Ijebu in Ogun State.

You recently won the Global Open Mathematics Tournament. How does this achievement make you feel?

It makes me happy and honoured.

How did you react when you were announced as the winner?

I was already tense, so I just smiled. I was too anxious to dance. I was tense because it was a tough competition.

Which other countries fielded contestants in the tournament?

I saw pupils from the United States (of America), China, Ghana and others.

At what point were you convinced that you would win?

It was at the point when we got to the end of the questions and I got the answers correctly. My heart raced but I felt relieved.

You went through some stages before the international tournament. Can you tell us about them?

In the first stage, there was a computer-based test and we had to answer many questions in one hour. My score in the test was 66. The second stage took the same format and I also scored 66. The quarter and semi-finals were on Microsoft themes. We were asked questions and we put in our answers; the first to put in the correct answers got 10 points.

Which of those stages was the toughest for you?

I think the first was the toughest because I was just getting used to the CBT and timing.

Were you at any stage scared that you might be defeated by other pupils?

Yes, I was – at the semi-finals. I entered a tiebreaker with a female pupil named Adrija Panda. I think she was from one of the Asian countries.

Is it true that you won with a margin of 30 points?

Yes, in the finals.

What was your total score?

Forty points.

What was the score of the first runner-up?

The first runner-up scored 10 points. The pupil was from another country.

This achievement must have come through proper preparation. How did you prepare for the competition; did you read for hours or late at night?

I didn’t want it (tournament) to affect my academic activities. So, after classes, I had another class with my teacher who coached me. At a point, he had to take me out of the class as (the date for) the competition got closer. So, I had to split my reading time. I am a boarding pupil, so I had to study at night from 11pm to 12am.

Did you receive any prize for emerging the winner?

It came with a monetary award of $1,000. The organisers said they would come for the official presentation of the award.