Going for gold at the Chemistry Olympiad

On 17 July, we sent off the four students who will represent the UK in the International Chemistry Olympiad Final in Vietnam with a celebration at Burlington House in London.

Each year, secondary students from across the world put their chemistry knowledge to the test in the Chemistry Olympiad. With the support of INEOS, we have successfully grown the UK competition, which attracted a record number of entries this year. 5,682 secondary students took part in the first round paper.

Our UK representatives

Following a rigorous testing and selection process, Osaid Ather from Brighton College, Richard Simon from Marlborough College, George Fortune from Priestley College and Katherine Rolph from Guildford High School emerged as the UK’s top four students. They represented the UK at the international final in Hanoi at the end of July with great success. 

Richard Simon ranked 10th in the world and took home a gold medal with a score of 78%. Osaid Ather and George Fortune both received silver medals, and Katherine Rolph achieved bronze status.