Phuket Governor Honors Young Coding Champion After International Victory in Rome

Phuket Governor Chotnarin Kerdsom has presented a certificate of recognition to nine-year-old Pavin "Pace" Pattanavekin after the young student claimed two championship titles at the International STEM Olympiad & Coding Olympiad 2026 in Rome.

According to True Coding School Phuket, the governor congratulated Pace on becoming a Global Champion and finishing at the top of the worldwide rankings in competitions held on the Codementum programming platform.

Pace was among the youngest competitors in the tournament. Now in Grade 3, he competed against students from Grades 3 to 11 during the Grand Final, which took place in Rome from July 2 to 8.

In addition to winning two coding championships, the Phuket student also earned gold medals in mathematics, science, and the international online programming examination, further strengthening his impressive performance at the event.

During the award presentation, Governor Chotnarin encouraged the young programmer to continue developing his knowledge and technical skills, expressing hope that his achievements would one day contribute to Thailand’s technological progress.

This is not Pace’s first success on the international stage. In 2025, he competed in the Coding Olympiad Grand Final in New York, where he won three gold medals.