Filipino students and their coaches said they were honored and happy with their performance at the prestigious 67th International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO) held in Shanghai, China.

The Philippines won a silver medal, two bronze medals, and an honorable mention at this year’s IMO, which drew 666 contestants from 117 countries.

The awarding ceremony of IMO 2026 was held on July 20, and the Philippine team will fly back to Manila on July 21.

Jerome Austin Te of Jubilee Christian Academy won the country’s silver medal, while Alessandro Albano of the Philippine Science High School (PSHS)–Main Campus and Nathan Gabriel Neria of Ateneo de Manila Senior High School bagged bronze medals.

Zion Skye Earl Carmelo Uy of PSHS–Main Campus earned an honorable mention.

Te, who clinched his fourth silver medal in the annual math competition, told Manila Bulletin: “While I would have wished to win the gold medal, I am incredibly blessed to win my fourth silver medal. In the IMO’s 67-year history, fewer than 10 of over 15,000 contestants have achieved this, and I am honored to join this elite club.”

He attributed his achievement “to God’s guidance, as it certainly wasn’t reached by my strength alone. It is a collective masterpiece. I also owe so much to the mentors and trainers from various math organizations who sharpened my instincts. Beyond the training room, my parents were my constant support and fiercest champions, taking on the stress of this journey along with me and providing a sanctuary of belief when I needed it most. This victory belongs to all of them.”

Albano, a first-time IMO participant, said he “felt surprised but also very happy because all my hard work paid off.”

“I attribute this to my family, friends, coaches, trainers, DOST-SEI, MSP, and the Philippine team: Team Leader Sir Richard Eden, Deputy Leader Sir Kerish Villegas, and my fellow teammates, who have been with me through every step of the way. I couldn’t have done it without all their support,” he said.

Neria, who competed for the second time at the IMO, said he “was very happy and honored to learn that I won a bronze medal.”

“I attribute my win first and foremost to the Lord and also to everyone who supported and guided me in this journey, which includes my family and friends. I especially want to thank our leaders Sir Richard Eden and Sir Kerish Villegas for their continuous support throughout the 67th IMO,” he said.

Meanwhile, Uy said it “was pretty insane” when he learned he had earned an honorable mention, saying: “I was honestly going to be satisfied if I at least solved one problem, but getting both the first and fourth with progress on the others made me ecstatic and left me wanting to reach higher next year.”

He thanked “the Lord for giving me the opportunity to even be here, my dear family and friends for their unwavering encouragement, my coaches in PSHS-MC and trainers in MOSC for their training and tips, DOST-SEI and MSP for their resources and support, and of course the team itself, which includes our team leader Sir Richard Eden, our deputy team leader Sir Kerish Villegas, and my fellow teammates who pushed me to do my best the whole way.”

Also part of the team were Mateo Inigo Espocia of PSHS–Main Campus and Shaun Lawrence Poh Leung of St. Stephen’s High School.

Espocia said that while he “didn’t do well on my first try, I think I might go for a silver next year.”

Leung said: “Representing the Philippines at the IMO taught me that the competition is not only highly challenging and prestigious but also filled with exciting activities and opportunities that allowed me to learn, grow, and build meaningful connections with students from different countries.”

The Philippine delegation was accompanied by team leader Dr. Richard Eden and deputy team leader Kerish Villegas, both from Ateneo de Manila University.

Overall, the Philippines ranked 54th this year at the IMO, improving from 66th place last year.

Eden said the results for the Philippine team this year “show an improvement, but each student’s individual preparation for each IMO is not constrained to that year alone, but the result of a continuing program year after year that we are always improving and adjusting.”

“Sometimes you get more students with more experience, and sometimes less, so we are always looking at a student’s particular trajectory. The medallists this year who can still join in the future have the potential to repeat or improve. Those who didn’t reach the cutoffs also have much potential, and I can see them learning from this year’s experience. Overall, we are very proud of each one of them for doing their best!” he said.

The Philippines’ participation in the IMO was a project of the Mathematical Society of the Philippines and the Science Education Institute–Department of Science and Technology.