A 10-year-old student from Türkiye has scored a perfect 100 points to become the global winner in the mathematics category of the STEM Olympiad, outshining competitors from 153 countries as the only participant from Türkiye to secure a first-place ranking across all categories.
Lina Saka, a fourth-grade student from the Black Sea province of Trabzon, earned an invitation to represent Türkiye at the international finals in Rome this July following her historic achievement.
In November last year, Saka competed in the American Mathematics Olympiad organized jointly by Southern Illinois University and the Singapore-based Singapore International Math Contests Centre.
Among thousands of students from 40 countries, she achieved a perfect score, ranking first in Türkiye at her level and 310th worldwide, which qualified her for the finals in Singapore.
She also won a silver medal at the FISO Olympiad earlier this year, earning an invitation to a competition in Dubai.
In the latest STEM Olympiad, Saka answered all 25 questions correctly within the 60-minute exam, securing the gold medal with a perfect score.
“I treated it like a regular exam,” she said, adding that she felt “very proud” of her accomplishment. “When I finished, I knew it had gone well. I’ve taken three competitions so far, and I’m very happy that I succeeded.”
Lina’s mother, Ayça Saka, said the family was proud but facing financial challenges as Lina has been invited to several international finals in different countries.
She noted that the costs of international travel and accommodation for competitions in Singapore, Dubai and Rome — many of which take place around the same time — are difficult for the family to afford.
"We want Lina to attend and wave our country’s flag there, but we may have to choose between them unless we receive support,” she said.
