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A team of students from Singapore has done the country proud in the International Geography Olympiad (iGeo), coming in first out of a total of 54 countries/territories and 209 participants.

The iGeo is an annual international competition for "the best 16 to 19 year old geography students" from around the world.

The competition comprises three sections — a written test, a multimedia test, and a fieldwork test.

This year's iGeo was held virtually in Paris, France, from Jul. 12 to 18.

Aside from emerging first, the Singapore team also received the largest number of Gold medals in the Olympiad, a Ministry of Education press release stated.

The Gold medallists are Brian Lee Ming Jun and Lee Jun Rui Marcus, both from Raffles Institution, and Wong Kang Zheng from Hwa Chong Institution.

Another teammate, Anders Hong from Dunman High School, won a Silver medal as well.

Coming in second worldwide

Incidentally, 17-year-old Wong also came in second in the world in the competition.

He received a shout-out from education minister Chan Chun Sing, who shared that Wong is fascinated with drawing maps and transport routes.

Wong's passion for maps is evident from his hand-drawn replicas of the Tokyo subway system.

His win in the iGeo did not come easy.

Wong shared with The Straits Times that he had to contend with contracting Covid-19 halfway through the competition.

He was forced to sit down for the last component of the competition at home, and face-planted on his table one hour in, due to a raging 39°C fever.

However, he persevered as he did not want to waste the one year of effort he and his teammates had spent preparing for the Olympiad.

In total, Singapore students brought home nine Gold medals, 14 Silver medals, three Bronze medals and one Honourable Mention from the various International Olympiads.

They also came in second in both the International and Online Young Physicists’ Tournaments, Chan added in his Facebook post.

"Heartiest congratulations to all our students who have flown the Singapore flag high in the international arena this year, and I encourage everyone to continue to pursue your interests and passion.

I would also like to extend my appreciation to all the teachers and instructors who have worked hard in helping our students achieve their dreams and fulfil their potential!"

Top photo from Chan Chun Sing / FB