International Olympiad accolades for two Withington students
Sasha Geim, a Withington Girls’ School A-Level student, has earned a gold medal and contributed to a record-breaking achievement by the UK team at the 50th International Chemistry Olympiad, held in Prague and Bratislava over the summer.
As part of the four-strong team of the UK’s top student chemists, Sasha was required to solve challenging problems in a five-hour theory paper and five-hour practical exam. She and two other members of the UK team secured gold medals, while the fourth member of the team achieved a silver medal, making this the UK’s most successful result in the 35 years it has competed in this event. Their achievement is put into perspective when you consider that a total of just nine gold medals had been won by UK teams prior to 2018.
Sasha was among 300 students from nearly 80 countries who took part in this highly regarded competition, which was won by the USA and China with four gold medals each. The UK shared third place with Korea and the Czech Republic, who also achieved three golds and one silver.
Withington is also celebrating the achievements of another A-Level student, Eleanor Edwards, who was one of eight students to represent the UK at the International Linguistics Olympiad, held in Prague from 26th to 30th July. As a member of one of the UK’s two four-strong teams, Eleanor contributed to the achievement of a Bronze trophy in the Team Contest by her team.
Withington’s Headmistress, Mrs Sarah Haslam, said: “We were delighted that two of our students were selected to represent the UK in these prestigious international events. For both Sasha and Eleanor to achieve these successes is tremendously exciting, and for Sasha to have contributed to a record-breaking endeavour for the UK makes us very proud – both girls are a credit to the School.”
