In a historic debut, two Costa Rican high school students have brought home silver and bronze medals from the 3rd Abu Rayhan Biruni International Chemistry Olympiad (ARBIChO 2026), held from November 3 to 9 in Nukus, Uzbekistan.
Costa Rica’s delegation marked the country’s first-ever participation in the competition and stood out as the sole representative from the American continent at this prestigious international event.
Earning Top International Honors
The medals were awarded to outstanding students from the Colegios CientÃficos de Costa Rica:
- 🥈 Silver Medal: Leonor Isaura Obando Umaña (Colegio CientÃfico de Costa Rica – Alajuela Campus)
- 🥉 Bronze Medal: Geicob Dariel Blanco Mora (Colegio CientÃfico de Costa Rica – Los Santos Campus)
The national delegation was also represented by Edith Mena Carballo (Liceo Experimental Bilingüe de Belén) and Ricardo Esteban Vega MartÃnez (Liceo Francisco J. Orlich).
Rigorous Academic Evaluation
Organized to test the world’s brightest young scientific minds, the ARBIChO 2026 challenged participants through rigorous theoretical and experimental examinations. Students were evaluated on advanced chemistry principles, scientific reasoning, and practical laboratory techniques.
Throughout their preparation and competition, the four students were mentored by academics Edwin Salas González and Randall Syedd León from the National University of Costa Rica (UNA). The team is scheduled to return home on Wednesday, November 12.
A Public Interest Initiative
This achievement was made possible through the Costa Rican Chemistry Olympiads (Olcoquim), an initiative officialized as a matter of public interest under Law No. 10.695.
Olcoquim is a collaborative national effort supported by:
- National Council of Rectors (CONARE)
- Costa Rica’s five public universities
- Ministry of Public Education (MEP)
- Ministry of Science, Innovation, Technology and Telecommunications (MICITT)
