The Thanh Hoa male student said that all his teammates were very good, but he was luckier, winning the championship in a dramatic final in the 2023 Olympia final.
At noon on October 8, the final match of the 23rd Road to Olympia ended with the victory of Le Xuan Manh, Ham Rong High School, the first Thanh Hoa student to win the championship in this playground.
The moment his name was called, Manh said he was "overwhelmed and couldn't believe it".
"I think luck has followed me throughout this journey. My friends are all very good, I'm just luckier. I want to dedicate this victory to those who have supported me, including my late grandmother," Manh said.
Xuan Manh holds the cup and wears a laurel wreath after the final match of Road to Olympia on the morning of October 8. Photo: Dinh Tung
Manh did not start well. In the 36 questions of the Warm-up round, the male student had the right to answer nearly half of them but only gave the correct answer to four questions. The male student from Ham Rong school only had 10 points after the first round, 20-55 points less than his competitors.
During the few minutes of break between games, Manh continuously used hand sanitizer to click the mouse and type faster. However, the Thanh Hoa boy could not improve his score in the Obstacle Course. At this time, when the race was half over, Manh still only had 10 points, Viet Thanh answered the keyword correctly and took the lead with 70 points.
This situation continued in the next round. Despite winning 90 more points in the Acceleration round, Manh was still 75 points behind Trong Thanh - the leader of the race at that time. This gap continued to widen as Trong Thanh continuously gained points, reaching 215 points, while Xuan Manh had 90 points.
The acceleration part of the test left Xuan Manh with many regrets. Although he finished four questions of this part, Manh sat down and covered his face. The male student realized that he had performed below his ability, so he felt regretful.
At this point, the finals seemed to be a race between Viet Thanh and Trong Thanh. Many people thought everything had come to an early conclusion for the Ham Rong High School student. But Manh said he still believed "he could win it" because the maximum score for the Finish Line round was 120, which could be increased if the contestant won points from the main player's fund.
"I never lost faith that I had no chance of winning," Manh said.
Manh's regretful moment when he answered many questions incorrectly in the Warm-up round, the Olympia final, on the morning of October 8. Photo: Dinh Tung
The turning point of the match really came to Manh in the Finish Line round. Before the final round took place, Le Xuan Manh told VnExpress that this was the round he was most confident in. The male student said that the good thing about this round was that in addition to thinking about the answer, the contestant needed to pay attention to the risk because if he answered wrong, he would lose points. Therefore, Manh always considered before pressing the bell.
When Trong Thanh and Viet Thanh competed in the Finish Line, Xuan Manh did not press the bell to answer any questions. He entered this competition with only 100 points, ranking third in the mountain climbing group. At this time, Trong Thanh temporarily took the lead with 215 points.
Sharing before choosing the question package, Manh hopes his journey will inspire the younger generations, even if he himself cannot win today.
"I have nothing to lose," Manh said afterwards, deciding to choose the 90-point question package.
The male student won 30 points in the first question about the famous person Tran Tuan Khai. In the second question about Mathematics, Manh's answer was incorrect but no points were deducted because the person who had the right to answer, Viet Thanh, also did not answer correctly.
Xuan Manh chose the star of hope in the final question, asking about the animal that Vietnamese scientists successfully cloned in March 2021. Manh initially answered "cow", then changed to "pig" in the last seconds. The male student won an additional 60 points amid cheers from the audience.
"Without these 60 points, I would have had almost no chance of winning," Manh said. At that time, he had 190 points, rising to second place and only 25 points behind Trong Thanh, who was leading.
The race changed completely when Manh answered correctly the 30-point question in Minh Triet's package, officially taking the throne from Trong Thanh. Manh won with 220 points, causing the whole studio to explode.
"Before entering the final round, I thought I would do my best and it really paid off. A victory requires both knowledge and luck. I think I had both," Manh said, assessing that his teammates were all excellent, had their own strengths and had contributed to a good match.
Watch the summary of the Olympia 2023 final match
Xuan Manh celebrates after winning 60 points from the Finish Line question - the turning point of the 2023 Olympia final. Photo: Dinh Tung
Vu Thi Huong, Manh's mother, was touched and proud of her son's performance. The mother said that Manh had made remarkable progress when he learned to read at the age of three. Manh's older brother Le Xuan Duong added that Olympia was the family's favorite program. The grandparents had hoped that one of their two grandsons could attend this playground.
"I haven't been able to do that yet, but now my younger brother has fulfilled his grandparents' wishes and even done well by bringing home the championship," the 21-year-old boy, currently a student at the University of Technology, Vietnam National University, Hanoi, shared.
Mr. Duong Van Hanh, a Math teacher and Xuan Manh's homeroom teacher, assessed his student's advantage as his desire to learn. Manh is studying for the Math team, but the teacher "always feels that Manh can major in any subject" because he studies well, has a good memory and knowledge base, and a serious attitude towards learning. Manh is also active in school activities and is enthusiastic with his friends. He balances well between studying and entertainment, so he is not a "bookworm".
As the first student from Thanh Hoa to win Olympia, Manh hopes his journey will inspire younger generations. The champion will be awarded a prize of 50,000 USD (about 1.2 billion VND). This prize is not given in cash, but is converted into tuition and living expenses when the contestant studies abroad. The male student said he has not decided whether to study abroad or not.
"After the show, I want to go home and have dinner with my family. That's what I want to do most right now," Manh said.
The decisive moment of the final match of Road to Olympia 2023. Photo: VTV3
Thanh Hang
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