Award-winning performances by QE trio in contest for top young physicists

Award-winning performances by QE trio in contest for top young physicists

The three sixth-formers entered by QE in this year’s British Physics Olympiad all won awards – and one has been invited to take part in a related competition.

Aneesh Chopada took gold in the BPhO – and has been asked to sit the Astronomy and Astrophysics Olympiad this week – while Abhishek Balkrishna won silver and Milan Hirji received the bronze I award. All are in Year 13.

Physics teacher Georgina Garfield said: “Our three competitors are to be congratulated: these are excellent results achieved in a prestigious competition marked at a very high level.”

More than 1,740 pupils from across the country entered the Olympiad this year. Gold awards went to the top 9.2% of entrants (who will also receive book prizes), with silver to the next 12.1%, bronze I to the next 13.2% and bronze II to the next 13.5%. The remaining entrants received commendations.

BPhO administrative secretary Lena Shams said: “The paper was designed to stretch and challenge the top young physicists in the country in a national competition.”