8-year-old Croatian boy crowned world mental arithmetic champion

Josip Kosmat (Photo: Press)

A young Croatian has been crowned world champion in mental arithmetic after an outstanding performance at the international ALOHA Mental Arithmetic competition held in Panama, 24sata writes.

Josip Kosmat (8), from Vinkovci, won the prestigious title after solving 60 out of 70 mathematical problems in just five minutes, competing against around 1,000 contestants from more than 20 countries.

The Champion category is awarded to competitors who solve at least 60 problems correctly within the time limit. Only the Grand Champion category, reserved for those who complete all 70 questions in five minutes, ranks higher.

Speaking after returning to Croatia, Josip said he enjoyed both the competition and the international atmosphere.

“It was nice and interesting. I was happy to travel to Panama with my family,” he said.

Beyond the contest itself, Josip said one of the highlights was meeting children from around the world, learning about different cultures and exchanging souvenirs. He spent time with participants from Panama, Mexico, Venezuela, Ecuador and Peru, exchanging contact details in their ALOHA passports.

“I am proud. I’m happy I showed what I know and successfully represented Croatia,” he added.

Josip qualified for the world finals after winning the Croatian ALOHA championship in Samobor earlier this year, where he solved 62 problems in five minutes to finish first among 120 competitors. He also became the first national ALOHA champion from outside Zagreb.

He credited his success to his ALOHA coach, Marija Andrijanić, who prepared him for both the national championship and the world competition.

(Photo: Press)

The ALOHA Mental Arithmetic programme was introduced to Croatia ten years ago by Dr Branka Novosel, founder of the Open University Littera. Originally developed in Malaysia more than three decades ago, the programme teaches rapid mental calculation without paper, a calculator or an abacus during competitions, while using the abacus as a learning tool.

Today, ALOHA is taught in around 40 countries and aims to strengthen children’s mathematical ability, logical thinking and abstract reasoning through mental arithmetic training.

Following Josip’s victory, Dr Novosel said that, in the age of artificial intelligence, mathematics education is becoming increasingly important not because of calculation speed, but because it develops critical thinking, problem solving, planning, pattern recognition and self regulation.

Josip’s success continues Croatia’s strong record in international ALOHA competitions and adds another world title for the country’s young academic talent.