The Philippine delegation has won two gold medals – the country’s first – at the recently concluded 2016 International Mathematics Olympiad (IMO) held in Hong Kong.

The team also won two silver medals and two honorable mentions from the IMO, considered to be among the most prestigious mathematics competition in the world.

The Philippine team also ranked 17th overall during this year’s competition, which saw over 100 countries participating.

Completing the team were Shaquille Wyan Que of Grace Christian College and Vince Jan Torres of Sta. Rosa Science and Technology High School.

It was Farrell Eldrian S. Wu of MGC New Life Christian Academy and Kyle Patrick F. Dulay of the Philippine Science High School-Main Campus who won the two gold medals for the Philippines.

The silver medals were won by Clyde Wesley S. Ang of Chiang Kai Shek College and Albert John Patupat of Holy Rosary College.

Meanwhile, the Honorable Mentions were won by Shaquille Wyan Que of Grace Christian College and Vince Jan Torres of Sta. Rosa Science and Technology High School.

The team was led by Dr. Richard Eden and Deputy Team Leader Dr. Louie John Vallejo of the Mathematical Society of the Philippines (MSP).

In a Facebook post written by the two coaches, described their win as “the best finish of the country since it first participated in 1988.”

Philippine team got a total score of 133, which brought them closer to Southeast Asian math powerhouses such as Thailand (ranked 12th) and Vietnam (ranked 11th)

“While only the names of the six contestants and the two team leaders appear in the official records, this achievement is not ours alone. Our stellar performance is the fruit of the labor of various people who came before us. They recognized that this is something worth pursuing,” the coaches said.