Brazil wins four medals at the CPLP.
Brazilians receive gold medals alongside their Portuguese competitors.
The Brazilian team won four medals in their participation in the 7th Mathematics Olympiad of the Community of Portuguese-Speaking Countries (CPLP), in Porto, Portugal. Pedro Gomes Cabral, from Recife (PE), and Gabriel Ribeiro Paiva, from Fortaleza (CE), won gold; André Hiroshi Koga, from Guarulhos (SP), and Eduardo Quirino de Oliveira, from Brasília (DF), won silver. With this result, Brazil came in first place in the competition.
The competition brought together Portuguese-speaking countries, such as Angola, Brazil, Cape Verde, Mozambique, Portugal, São Tomé and Príncipe, and East Timor. Brazil participated in all editions and hosted the tournament in 2012 and 2016. Now, it has a total of 11 gold, 16 silver, and one bronze medals in the CPLP (Community of Portuguese Language Countries).
André Koga and Eduardo Quirino with the silver medal around their necks.
Perfect gold
The standout player for the national team was Gabriel Paiva, who aced the event, winning the "perfect gold medal." "The experience was incredible. We made new friends and learned about different cultures. I always go into any competition aiming for a perfect score, but I had never achieved this feat in an Olympic event. This shows how worthwhile all the effort and dedication was," said Gabriel.
With the silver medal around his neck, André Koga reflected on his dedication to his studies. “When I win a medal, I feel like all my effort has paid off. The medal is the result of all the studying before the exam. Often, the main battle comes before the exam, when we study. It’s very gratifying to know that we are encouraging many other young people to follow this path as well.”
Pedro lived through days of tension until he learned the result at the awards ceremony. After making what he calls a "silly mistake on problem 6," he didn't know if he would win a medal. "It was two days of intense anxiety. The awards ceremony started and they handed out all the bronze and silver medals. Then I started celebrating a lot with Gabriel [because I knew it was gold]. It was an explosion of happiness! It's great to achieve a result like this after so much study and dedication."
For Eduardo Quirino, participating in a mathematics olympiad is about experiencing many emotions. "The joy of solving a difficult problem, the anticipation of the exam, and of course, the moment of the awards ceremony, when you hear your name called and go to receive your medal."