Nine-year-old Phuket student wins two global coding titles in Rome

A nine-year-old student from True Coding School Phuket has won two Global Champion titles and ranked No. 1 in the world in coding at the International STEM Olympiad & Coding Olympiad Grand Final 2026 in Rome, Italy.

Pawint “Pace” Phatthanavekin, a Grade 3 student, competed in the Grades 3–11 category against participants with an average age of 9 to 17. The final was held from July 2 to 8, 2026, and brought together more than 38,000 young people from 153 countries and representatives of more than 1,700 schools worldwide.

The result was attributed to Pace’s abilities in computational thinking, advanced coding, logical reasoning and problem-solving. The source also said he performed strongly in mathematics and science, in addition to coding.

Kullanit Prakobphol, an executive at True Coding School, said Pace had shown clear determination and talent in programming. The school prepared him through intensive one-on-one coaching. He had previously travelled to the United States for a competition and continued developing his skills from that experience before reaching the world championship this year.

The school credited software engineer Teacher Manu Khalikov from Silicon Valley in the United States, teacher Koraphan Muangsong, known as Teacher O, and the wider teaching team for helping develop Pace’s abilities.

The achievement has highlighted the performance of a young student from Phuket on an international stage and was presented by the school as an inspiration for Thai children to develop their skills and pursue opportunities globally.