Twelfth-grader Phan Minh Duc from the Hanoi-Amsterdam high-school for gifted children won the laurel wreath of “The Road to Olympia Peak ” knowledge contest with a prize cash of 35,000 USD in the final competition on June 13.

The victory made Duc become the first student of the school to win the title of the popular decade-old quiz-show for high-school students.

The competition was a point racing between Duc and three other outstanding competitors, who ranked first at the quarterly competitions - Nguyen Huu Phuoc from the southern province of Binh Phuoc, and Do Duc Hieu and Giang Thanh Tung, both from the central province of Thanh Hoa.

Though Duc didn’t gain high points in the first stage “Warming Up,” he quickly caught up and surpassed the other contestants at the “Overcoming Obstacles” and “Speeding Up” with 105 and 195 points, respectively.

His good English skills worked to his advantage, helping Duc complete the final “Finish” stage with a total 295 points, securing the title.

Duc told the press the prize will allow him to realise his dream of pursuing further education in Australia .

Do Duc Hieu from Le Loi high-school, Thanh Hoa province, came second with 250 points, and Nguyen Huu Phuoc from Quang Trung gifted school, Binh Phuoc province and Giang Thanh Tung from Sam Son high-school, Thanh Hoa province, ranked third.

“The Road to Olympia Peak” began in 1999 as a knowledge contest on TV for high-school students by VTV3 under the sponsor of LG Electronics./.