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Meet Nasara James Dabo, the 13-year-old Olympiad champion who solved 34 math problems in only 172 seconds

BY Preta Peace Namasaba June 24, 2024 3:21 PM EDT
Nasara James Dabo. Photo credit: Nairaland Forum

Nasara James Dabo solved 34 math problems in only 172 seconds at the International Mathematical Olympiad. The 13-year-old earned the Olympiad champion title and a gold medal in the junior category.

Dabo is a student at Ideal College International in Kaduna, Nigeria. She exhibited exceptional intelligence, memory, and agility in the competition. She secured a total score of 145 to triumph over 150 competitors from over 100 countries.

The International Mathematical Olympiad is the leading global annual mathematics competition for secondary school students. It was first held in Romania in 1959, with only seven participating countries and has since extended to over 100 countries across five continents. Students from various countries undergo training to improve their abilities before the actual contest.

After shining at the Olympiad, Dabo went on to take the Mensa IQ test. She took it under strict supervision and emerged with an IQ score of 150. This places her in the elite 1% of Mensa applicants worldwide. The test indicates general cognitive abilities with an IQ score of 100 being the population average.

Recently, Dabo was recognised with a LIMCA Award & Certificate of Excellence by the LIMCA Book of Records. She managed to memorise 673 binary digits in just 8 minutes, and 13 seconds at the Memory Championship by Mind Sports Olympiad. She defeated 4,500 of her peers in the memory championship and emerged as champion in the national category.

In honor of her prolific achievements, the Kaduna State government has offered Dabo a scholarship. The state will cover her remaining secondary education and university education expenses. Dabo dreams of becoming a doctor.

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