Road to Olympia Mount: Schoolboy in the Top 1% of Highest SAT Scores Solves "Overcome Obstacle" Puzzle with Lightning Speed

The February 2024 competition of Road to Olympia Mount's Quarter 4 was a battle between four outstanding contestants from the recent weekly rounds: Nguyen Nguyen Phu (High School for Gifted Students, Hanoi National University of Education), Do Thi Quynh Huong (Da Phuc High School, Hanoi), Tran Ngoc Nhat Minh (Hanoi-Amsterdam High School for the Gifted), and Nguyen Tat Thanh (Vinh Linh High School, Quang Tri).

The familiar host duo Khanh Vy and Ngoc Huy once again accompanied the program.

In the Individual Warm-Up round, Nguyen Phu, who had achieved the highest score among the four contestants with 330 points from the weekly competition, confidently started the round and scored a maximum of 60 points. Returning to the competition with a more relaxed mindset, Quynh Huong, Hiep Minh, and Tat Thanh scored 40 points each.

The contestants enteres the Warm-Up round

After the 12-question General Warm-Up round, the scores began to differ: Tat Thanh had 35 points, Nhat Minh 60 points, Quynh Huong 65 points, and Nguyen Phu maintained the lead with 95 points.

The Overcome Obstacle round had a 14-letter  keyword. This round is known for its surprises, and this time was no exception.

As soon as the hosts Khanh Vy and Ngoc Huy finished reading the first question, all four contestants quickly pressed their buzzers to answer the keyword. The first to buzz in was Nguyen Phu, with the answer "Duong Truong Son" (Truong Son Road), followed by Quynh Huong with "Duong Ho Chi Minh" (Ho Chi Minh Road), while Tat Thanh and Hiep Minh also shared the same answer as Nguyen Phu. This was not the first time Nguyen Phu took such a bold risk. In the weekly competition, he also gave the correct answer before the MC had even finished reading the first question. With confidence and speed, Nguyen Phu once again triumphed in the Obstacle round of February’s Quarter 4.

The contestants answered quickly, even before the first row of the puzzle was revealed.

After the second round,  Tat Thanh, Quynh Huong, and Nhat Minh remained unchanged in their scores, while Nguyen Phu stood out with 155 points.

In the Speed-up round, the contestants continued to compete fiercely, racing against time. After this round, the scores changed, but the ranking order remained the same: Tat Thanh with 115 points, Nhat Minh with 150 points, Quynh Huong with 155 points, and Nguyen Phu with 245 points.

The final round, the Finish round, unfolded with intense moments. Nguyen Phu chose a set of 20-20-20 questions, answered only one correctly but maintained his score of  245 points. The only female contestant, Quynh Huong, with her calm and confident responses, answered all three of her questions, raising her score to 215 points. After the remaining contestants finished their rounds, the final scores were as follows: Nguyen Phu and Quynh Huong both with 245 points, Nhat Minh with 180 points, and Tat Thanh ending the race with 175 points.

Nguyen Phu feels the pressure before a math question

The only female contestant remains calm throughout the questions

Nhat Minh works hard to increase his score and prove himself

Tat Thanh tries his best to finish the round with a set of 20-20-30 questions

Nguyen Phu is quicker to answer than Quynh Huong

Nguyen Phu and Quynh Huong faced off in the tie-breaker, with Nguyen Phu winning the right to answer first to secure his lead.

As a result, Nguyen Phu once again claimed the laurel wreath and advanced to the upcoming Quarter competition. Quynh Huong is waiting for her chance, as she may qualify for the Quarter if she has the highest monthly score.

Nguyen Phu becomes the laurel wreath winner of February's Quarter 4.