SERBIA HAS THE WORLD’S BEST “ENGLISHMAN”! Andrej Jelić wins gold at prestigious English language competition!

Seventh-grade student Andrej Jelić from Dimitrije Davidović Elementary School in Smederevo has achieved a historic success by taking first place in the world final of the prestigious HIPPO English language competition, held in Italy. To celebrate this major achievement, his school organized a festive and emotional welcome, complete with applause and smiles from his classmates and teachers.

HIPPO is the world’s largest English language olympiad for children and young people aged 6 to 19, attracting competitors from more than 70 countries. The road to the top was challenging, as participants must pass demanding qualifying rounds, from school and national levels to regional stages. Thanks to his outstanding result at the national level, Andrej qualified directly for the grand world final.

Behind this achievement are several months of dedicated work and studying, during which Andrej prepared with the help of his teacher, Ivana Karić, as well as the support of his family.

“I really didn’t expect this. I’m surprised by how much effort everyone put into organizing this just for me. I’ve always wanted to reach this level of the HIPPO competition, but we didn’t expect first place,” said the young champion, whose favorite subject is English.

His teacher, Ivana Karić, emphasizes that Andrej is an exceptionally hardworking and versatile student.

“Andrej has achieved an incredible success and qualified directly for the World Championship, from which we return as champions. He is an exemplary child who masters everything with ease, is persistent, motivated and hardworking, and last year he also won national awards in physics and mathematics,” Karić emphasized.