By Joanna Cataldo and Martina Medina

A 17-year-old Brazilian won the gold medal at the 8th European Girls’ Mathematical Olympiad, which took place in Kiev, Ukraine from April 7th to 13th. With the victory, Mariana Groff from Rio Grande do Sul state became the first representative from Brazil to win the competition’s gold medal. This year, 196 students from 49 European and non-European countries participated in the event. “I hope this victory will encourage other girls who are starting to take part in the Olympics to dream of achieving good results,” said Mariana to JOCA.

Aside from the 2019 edition, Mariana also participated in 2017 and 2018 when she won the silver and bronze medals, respectively. Her journey in math Olympics, however, started in 2013 when her school asked her to participate in the Brazilian Public Schools Olympics. “I always did well in math, but I was never particularly interested in it. I really liked the type of test in the competition because the math was different from the one I learned in school. The test was about logic,” explains Mariana.

For her, girl-only competitions are important because they encourage girls to get involved in math. It is common that more boys participate in science and number-focused competitions. “When I was in first grade, I was the only girl who participated in the math workshop for the Brazilian math Olympics. I would often ask myself: “Should I be here?” I think many girls feel that way. When you create Olympics for women, you are saying that you want us to be here and study math.”

QUESTIONS

1) How did Mariana become interested in the Math Olympics?

A) She became interested in the 2019 edition of the European Girls’ Mathematical Olympiad.

B) She became interested in the 2017 edition of the European Girls’ Mathematical Olympiad.

C) Her interest started in school, during math classes.

D) Her interest started in 2013, when she took part in a Brazilian Public School Olympics event.

2) Would you like to participate in an international Olympic competition in any subject? Explain your answer.

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