Boys set gold standard at Physics Olympiad

Tonbridge boys received some of the top honours in the latest round of the British Physics Olympiad, a national test which is designed to challenge top young physicists at schools and colleges across the country.

More than 2,000 UK students and a further 1,500 from the Far East tackled a paper in November, run by the University of Oxford’s Physics department.

Ben Burgess, Sherman Yip and Justin Lau from Tonbridge all finished among the top 100 UK competitors and also won the right to compete in the next round in January. Their achievements were recognised with a special ‘Top 100′ gold medal.

Four other boys – Kiefer Chow, Kevin Lee, Ollie Poole and Godwyn Lai – also received gold medals for finishing in the top 250 (the top 10 per cent) of the UK cohort.

Those receiving silver medals gained a place in the top 25 per cent of the cohort, and bronze medals went to those who achieved a top 40 per cent position.

Phil Deakin, the school’s Head of Physics, said: “I’m delighted with the results, which make this a Tonbridge record in the Physics Olympiad. We’ve performed strongly in past competitions, but this year’s achievement is truly exceptional. The contest is designed to recognise excellence in the subject, and I congratulate all our entrants for doing so well.”

The medal winners are:
Ben Burgess (WW5): Top 100 Gold
Sherman Yip (HS4): Top 100 Gold
Justin Lau (HS5): Top 100 Gold
Kiefer Chow (MH4): Gold
Kevin Lee (MH5): Gold
Ollie Poole (WH5): Gold
Godwyn Lai (MH5): Gold
Olly Gedney (PS5): Silver
Benson Kwok (HS4): Silver
Alex Lawrence (PS5): Bronze
Colin Chow (Sc5): Bronze
Max Lawrence (PS5): Bronze 

Picture: Barton Science Centre, Tonbridge School.