Road to Olympia Mount: Quang Tri Schoolboy Overcomes Strong Rivals to Claim the Laurel

The competition featured four outstanding contestants: Nguyen Dinh Bao (Le Quy Don High School for the Gifted, Da Nang); Nguyen Hong Nhan (Me Linh High School, Hanoi); Nguyen Su Minh Khoi (Dong Ha High School, Quang Tri); and Vu Tan Thanh (Hung Yen High School for the Gifted, Hung Yen).

In the Individual Warm-up round, Minh Khoi had the strongest start with 50 points, followed by Dinh Bao, Tan Thanh, and Hong Nhan. During the General Warm-up round, Dinh Bao and Minh Khoi frequently rang the bell to answer. By the end of the round, Dinh Bao was temporarily  in the lead with 70 points, Minh Khoi had 65, Tan Thanh had 30, and Hong Nhan had 35.

The Overcome Obstacle round proved pivotal. After the first puzzle piece was revealed, none of the contestants could correctly  answer the second horizontal clue. At the third horizontal clue, Tan Thanh quickly rang the bell and   answered as “trong dong” (Dong Son drum). Although  he was  only about 50 percent certain, he took the risk, and it paid off. Tan Thanh surged ahead with 80 points. Dinh Bao followed closely behind with 75  points, while Hong Nhan  trailed with  45.

The Speed-Up round offered a critical opportunity to widen the gap, and all four contestants seized it. The round unfolded with high intensity, leaving the outcome difficult to predict. Dinh Bao and Tan Thanh managed to break into the leading group. Hong Nhan answered all four questions correctly, albeit more slowly than his rivals. By the end of the round, Tan Thanh led with 170 points, Dinh Bao had 160, Hong Nhan 155, and Minh Khoi 125. This was  an unusually tight scoreboard for this stage of the competition.

Entering the decisive Finish round with the highest score, Tan Thanh went first, selecting three 20-point questions. However, he lost points on the first question to Minh Khoi and concluded his turn with 190 points.

Dinh Bao also chose three 20-point questions but failed to answer any correctly. He finished  with 120 points after losing 40 points to Hong Nhan and Minh Khoi.

Hong Nhan selected a 20-30-20 point package. After answering the first question correctly, he temporarily moved into the lead with 195 points. He was unable to capitalize on subsequent opportunities,   though, losing points to Minh Khoi and finishing with 145 points.

Minh Khoi chose three 20-point questions. Remarkably, despite entering the Finish round with the lowest score, he delivered an impressive comeback. By answering two out of three questions correctly and capitalizing on bonus opportunities from his opponents, he accumulated 235 points. This dramatic turnaround propelled  Nguyen Su Minh Khoi  from last place before the final round to the top spot as   this week’s champion of Road to Olympia Mount.