Karachi girl bags bronze in international chemistry olympiad

Maaha Ayub, an A-Levels student at Lyceum School Karachi, won the medal in the 49th International Chemistry Olympiad

A Pakistani girl has made the whole nation proud by winning the bronze medal in an international competition of chemistry.

Maaha Ayub, an A-Levels student at Lyceum School Karachi, won the competition and bagged the medal for Pakistan in the 49th International Chemistry Olympiad (IChO) in Bangkok, Thailand.

IChO is an annual competition for the world’s most talented chemistry students at the secondary school level, its website says.



Nations around the world send a team of four students who are tested on their chemistry knowledge and skills in a five-hour laboratory practical and five-hour written theoretical examination, it adds.

The competition event was held from July 6-15 this year after which the results were announced. Maaha was one of the few girls among hundreds, who had gathered from across the globe, to win the bronze for Pakistan.

It was in 1968 that this competition began taking place, first time held in Prague.

Students participating in the competition held in Thailand. PHOTO: Facebook

Speaking to The Express Tribune, the student said she was sent by the Higher Education Commission (HEC) and the HEJ Institute of Chemistry to the competition after they conducted a test in which hundreds of students participated. Maaha had been selected along with three other students.

"The competition was more than just exams. It was, above all, an opportunity for all of us to interact with people from different countries and cultures," she recalled her experience.

"The experience was an amazing one and helped foster many international friendships, and promoted a positive image of Pakistan worldwide," Maaha added.

Having won the competition and making the nation proud, Maaha advised other students to take this on themselves to participate in such events for bringing pride to the country.

"I would like to take this opportunity to encourage every science student to participate in this as the opportunity to represent Pakistan on a global level is a huge one and everyone should at least give it a try," she said.