Physics Olympiad Gold Medalist Than The Cong: The secret is not giving up

At the 2024 International Physics Olympiad (IPhO), all 5/5 students won medals, with: 2 Gold Medals, 3 Silver Medals. In particular, two Gold medals belongs to close friends Truong Phi Hung and Than The Cong, both 12th grade students at Bac Giang Specialized High School, Bac Giang province.

Vietnam delegation to compete in the International Physics Olympiad (IPhO) 2024. Photo: MOET.

Journey to Winning an International Olympic Gold Medal

According to the regulations of the IPhO Council 2024, the exam consists of one theoretical exam and one practical exam. Each exam lasts 5 hours. The theoretical and practical content are closely linked to real life, touching on the applications of modern science and technology.

The theoretical part was considered difficult, asking about black widow pulsars. This is a term describing two planets orbiting each other, in which the lighter planet will be attracted, gradually consuming matter. However, Cong scored 27.6/30 on the theoretical part.

In the practical part, Than The Cong scored 9.8/20 practical tests. With a total score of 37.4/50, Than The Cong ranked 30th out of 200 candidates worldwide taking the exam.

Than The Cong excellently won the 2024 International Physics Gold Medal.

Sharing the moment he heard the news of receiving the Gold Medal, Than The Cong said he was overwhelmed with joy and unlike his close friend Truong Phi Hung, who predicted he would win the Gold Medal after the exam, Cong was surprised. "I didn't think I would win the Gold Medal," Cong shared.

Talking about his journey to Physics, Than The Cong said that in 8th grade he had a love for this subject. He was often curious and wondered about natural phenomena such as why it rains, why there are rainbows, how to get electricity... However, in the exam to select the excellent student team at the Public School level, he failed right from this round.

By the ninth grade, with great determination, Cong was selected to be part of the school's excellent student team. At the provincial Physics excellent student competition, Cong won second prize. With this achievement, he was directly admitted to Bac Giang High School for the Gifted. From this journey, passion, love, and meeting an inspiring teacher - Mr. Nguyen Van Doa helped Cong reap success.

In the national excellent student selection exam for the 2022-2023 school year, Than The Cong won first prize, in the top 4 candidates with the highest scores nationwide. Cong won a Gold Medal at the excellent student exam for high schools in the coastal and Northern Delta regions in 2022; Bronze Medal at the Asian Physics Olympiad in 2023; In 2024, Than The Cong, a 12th grade student majoring in Physics at Bac Giang High School for the Gifted, was the only candidate from Vietnam to win a Gold Medal at the Asian Physics Olympiad (APhO).

Stay up 2-3 hours to solve difficult problems and never give up

Than The Cong said that to study Physics well, a good foundation in Mathematics is essential. Understanding this, he invested in Mathematics. He also improved his ability to present solutions coherently and demonstrate clear thinking. Every time he took an exam, he gained more experience in how to do the test, present, draw complete figures, and list data.

Than The Cong and Truong Phi Hung, 2024 International Physics Gold Medalists, returned from the competition to the welcome of teachers, family and friends.

With determination, Than The Cong set a goal and tried his best to achieve it. There were days when he stayed up until 2-3 am when he encountered a difficult problem. In the end, he was so tired that he fell asleep without realizing it.

However, Cong did not give up. The next morning in class, Cong took the initiative to meet the teacher to ask for clarification. Only when he had no more questions did Cong stop. “I always determined to try to study hard and improve my knowledge to become a physics researcher or electrical engineer in the future…”, Cong shared.

In addition to the knowledge in class, Cong also reads many documents and watches explanation clips online. To read foreign documents, Cong tries to improve his English.

Commenting on his student, Mr. Nguyen Van Doa, Physics teacher at Bac Giang High School for the Gifted, said that Than The Cong has good capacity, knowledge, courage and the ability to withstand pressure during exams... Physics requires sharp mathematical thinking, along with passion, constantly asking why. The success of students is largely determined by the will, diligence and effort of the students.

What impressed Mr. Doa the most about the pair of best friends who won the Gold Medal at the Physics Olympiad, Than The Cong and Truong Phi Hung, was their simplicity in life. Both male students often went to school in… flip-flops.

Talking to Knowledge and Life, Mr. Tran Duy Phuong, Principal of Bac Giang High School for the Gifted, said that in 2024, for the first time, Bac Giang province had 3 excellent students winning Gold Medals at the International Olympic Competition, including two students Than The Cong and Truong Phi Hung, both in the 12th grade Physics class of the school.

"The common point between you all is diligence and effort. You set goals for each stage and are determined to conquer them. The school is very proud of you," said Mr. Phuong.

Source: https://khoahocdoisong.vn/hcv-olympic-vat-ly-than-the-cong-bi-quyet-la-khong-bo-cuoc-post245976.html