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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider Filipino students thankful for win at 66th International Mathematical Olympiad in Australia

Filipino students thankful for win at 66th International Mathematical Olympiad in Australia

Published Jul 21, 2025 09:33 am  |  Updated Jul 21, 2025 03:40 pm

At A Glance

  • The IMO is the most prestigious mathematics competition for high school students
The Philippine team at the awarding ceremony of the 66th International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO) in Australia. They are (from left) deputy team leader Kerish Villegas, Nathan Gabriel Neria of the Ateneo de Manila Senior High School, Luke Sebastian Sy of Grace Christian College, Jerome Austin Te of Jubilee Christian Academy, Ervin Joshua Bautista of Southville International School and Colleges, Mark Justin Villafuerte of De La Salle University Integrated School-Manila, Matthew Andrei Go of Sacred Heart-Ateneo de Cebu, team leader Hazel Joy Shi, and Dr. Richard Eden (Photo from (Photo from Go for Gold: Philippine IMO Team)
The Philippine team at the awarding ceremony of the 66th International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO) in Australia. They are (from left) deputy team leader Kerish Villegas, Nathan Gabriel Neria of the Ateneo de Manila Senior High School, Luke Sebastian Sy of Grace Christian College, Jerome Austin Te of Jubilee Christian Academy, Ervin Joshua Bautista of Southville International School and Colleges, Mark Justin Villafuerte of De La Salle University Integrated School-Manila, Matthew Andrei Go of Sacred Heart-Ateneo de Cebu, team leader Hazel Joy Shi, and Dr. Richard Eden (Photo from (Photo from Go for Gold: Philippine IMO Team)
Three Filipino students said they are honored and thankful for winning at the prestigious 66th International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO) held from July 10 to 20 in Australia
The IMO is a math competition for high school students and is “is the largest and most prestigious of all the international Olympiads,” according to the IMO 2025 website.
This year, the competition attracted 630 contestants, including 69 female students, from 110 countries and territories.
At the 66th IMO, the Philippines won a silver medal, a bronze medal and an honorable mention.
Winning Filipino students at the 66th International Mathematical Olympiad (from left) Ervin Joshua Bautista of Southville International School and Colleges (bronze medal), Jerome Austin Te of Jubilee Christian Academy (silver medal) and Mark Justin Villafuerte of De La Salle University Integrated School-Manila (honorable mention) (Photos from Go for Gold: Philippine IMO Team)
Winning Filipino students at the 66th International Mathematical Olympiad (from left) Ervin Joshua Bautista of Southville International School and Colleges (bronze medal), Jerome Austin Te of Jubilee Christian Academy (silver medal) and Mark Justin Villafuerte of De La Salle University Integrated School-Manila (honorable mention) (Photos from Go for Gold: Philippine IMO Team)
Jerome Austin Te, 16, a Grade 11 student of Jubilee Christian Academy, won a silver medal, his third consecutive year to bag the award at the IMO. He won silver medals in the 2023 and 2024 editions of the IMO.
“I am grateful and delighted to win a silver medal for the 3rd consecutive year in the IMO. Although I would have hoped to win a higher medal, it is nonetheless still a success for me and for the Philippines,” Te told the Manila Bulletin.
He added, “I am honored to be the first Philippine contestant to win 3 silver medals in this prestigious competition, exemplifying consistency and inspiring young scientists and mathematicians to achieve excellence in STEM-related fields.”
“Filipinos have great potential to succeed in these endeavors; we just need to continue to work hard and strive for the best,” he said.
Ervin Joshua Bautista of Southville International School and Colleges won a bronze medal. Last year, he won honorable mention at the IMO.
“It means a lot to me that I was able to end up getting a medal on my last year, especially since I wasn’t able to last year. I'm grateful for those who supported me in this journey and for the fact that the test and the situation ended up being in my favor,” said Bautista.
Mark Justin Villafuerte of De La Salle Integrated School-Manila, a first-time participant at the IMO, won honorable mention.
“Competing in the International Mathematical Olympiad is both a privilege and an honor, and getting to this point was no easy feat. Given that this is my first and last year participating, earning an award from the most prestigious math competition for high school students is an achievement in itself, and is one that many never get the chance to experience,” he said.
Villafuerte added, “While this may not be the exact award I had hoped for, I can confidently say that the years of hard work and dedication were worth it. I have no regrets devoting much of my high school life to pursuing this goal, and I stand proud knowing that dreams can take you further than you ever imagined.”
The other members of the Philippine team were Matthew Andrei Go of Sacred Heart-Ateneo de Cebu, Nathan Gabriel Neria of the Ateneo de Manila Senior High School, and Luke Sebastian Sy of Grace Christian College.
The Philippine team was accompanied by team leader Hazel Joy Shi of the University of the Philippines Diliman and deputy leader Kerish Villegas of Ateneo de Manila University (ADMU), together with Dr. Richard Eden of ADMU who acted as adviser.
The Philippine team at the 66th IMO in Australia. They are (from left) deputy team leader Kerish Villegas, Ervin Joshua Bautista, Matthew Andrei Go, Nathan Gabriel Neria, Luke Sebastian Sy, Jerome Austin Te, Mark Justin Villafuerte, and Dr. Richard Eden. (Photos from Go for Gold: Philippine IMO Team and IMO 2025 Facebook page)
The Philippine team at the 66th IMO in Australia. They are (from left) deputy team leader Kerish Villegas, Ervin Joshua Bautista, Matthew Andrei Go, Nathan Gabriel Neria, Luke Sebastian Sy, Jerome Austin Te, Mark Justin Villafuerte, and Dr. Richard Eden. (Photos from Go for Gold: Philippine IMO Team and IMO 2025 Facebook page)
In a Facebook post, Shi and Villegas said, “The IMO is the most prestigious mathematics competition for high school students, and is the oldest of all the international science Olympiads.”
Other trainers of the Philippine team were Dr. Christian Paul Chan Shio (ADMU), Dr. Jerome Dimabayao (UP Diliman), Dr. Russelle Guadalupe (UP Diliman), Misael Jose Fisico (former deputy leader), Carlo Francisco Adajar (University of Georgia), Gari Lincoln Chua (University of Utah), Lu Christian Ong (ADMU), Sean Anderson Ty (former IMO contestant), Vince Jan Torres (former IMO contestant), Immanuel Josiah Balete (UP Diliman), Carl Joshua Quines (former IOI contestant), Raphael Dylan Dalida (Massachusetts Institute of Technology), Alvann Walter Paredes Dy (UP Diliman), and Rickson Caleb Tan (Hong Kong University of Science and Technology).
The Philippine team's participation in the IMO was a partnership between the Mathematical Society of the Philippines (MSP) and the Department of Science and Technology-Science Education Institute (DOST-SEI).
Related story
Filipino students bag awards at 66th Int'l Mathematical Olympiad in Australia
https://mb.com.ph/2025/07/19/filipino-students-bag-awards-at-66th-intl-mathematical-olympiad-in-australia 

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