Great achievement for Horizon High learner
On being the first black South African to receive this award, Kgaogelo said he was very happy and proud of himself.
Kgaogelo Bopape (17) from Horizon High School in Turffontein made a name for himself after receiving a bronze medal at the 61st International Mathematical Olympiad last month.
He was among six other learners who participated from South Africa. Initially, this event was supposed to be held in Russia; however, due to Covid-19 it was held virtually in Cape Town with 600 learners worldwide.
Each country was represented by six learners.
On being the first black South African to receive this award, Kgaogelo said he was very happy and proud of himself.
“It was difficult; however, through preparations I got through. I must say, the only difficulty was psychological because I put all my efforts of years of studying in on that day.
“It was also pretty fun, the maths problems were interesting and the experience was memorable. Everyone is excited, including my parents, my maths teacher and the school itself, which played a pivotal role in me being where I am today.
“I want to thank them for the platform and the encouragement,” he said.
His maths teacher, Huseyin Akinci, said the school is very proud of him and thanks everyone who helped Kgaogelo to sharpen his knowledge for the Olympiad.
“Thank you to Horizon Maths Competition for discovering him. Also for the past three years, Wits Siyanqoba Training has been instrumental in shaping his mathematics skills,” he said.
China was the overall winning country of this year’s Olympiad, followed by Russia and then the United States of America. South Africa finished with a ranking of 61st out of 105 participating countries.
