8-year-old Croatian becomes world mental arithmetic champion 

Petar Andačić (Photo credit: ALOHA Mentalna aritmetika/Facebook)

Eight-year-old Petar Andačić from the Croatian capital Zagreb was crowned the champion at the prestigious ALOHA Mental Arithmetic Competition in Kuala Lumpur over the weekend. 

Petar accomplished this exceptional achievement in a competition that included 700 children from 15 different countries, all with the guidance of his teacher, Ljiljana Kolenković.

As a third-grade student at Zagreb’s Kajzerica Elementary School, Petar had already secured the title of national champion in Croatia. 

Ljiljana Kolenković with Petar (Photo credit: ALOHA Mentalna aritmetika/Facebook)

Competing in the Tiny Tots 7 category, he successfully solved an impressive 66 out of 70 arithmetic problems in just five minutes. His outstanding performance placed him among the top competitors at the national level.

At the world ALOHA competition, winners are categorised into five groups, and it is worth mentioning that the “champion” title bestowed upon Petar is second only to the highest honour of “grand champion”.

“Winning a title like this is a great thing. I feel super and I am really proud of myself. I worked hard practising for the the competition and the most difficult part was travelling to Malaysia,” Petar, who was the only thee Croatian at the competition, told RTL Danas. 

(Photo credit: ALOHA Mentalna aritmetika/Facebook)

Each year, the ALOHA Mental Arithmetic International Competition takes place in a different city. This year’s event was held in Kuala Lumpur, as it was in Malaysia, where the international program for the mental and intellectual development of children originated 30 years ago. 

The ALOHA program strengthens children’s brains through the use of abacuses and mental calculation techniques, enhancing their mathematical skills, logic, and abstract thinking.