The Road to Olympia uses rock-paper-scissors for the first time to decide the winner.

In the history of the Road to Olympia , there was a case where 2 contestants had to use rock-paper-scissors to find the winner. This was considered a rare occasion that even surprised the audience.

The Road to Olympia has long been a familiar intellectual playground for high school students across the country. Not only is it a place to test knowledge, the program also brings to the audience dramatic competitions, breathtaking moments and sometimes even unexpected surprises. During its 25 years of broadcasting, Olympia has witnessed many "unique" situations, where victory is no longer decided entirely by knowledge, but sometimes lies in the hands of... luck.

One of those special marks happened in the contest of week 3, month 2, quarter 3 of year 18 (2018). At that time, the laurel wreath belonged to Bui Duc Huy (Ly Thuong Kiet High School, Hai Phong) with the highest score, winning the right to enter the monthly contest. However, the remaining ticket - for the second place contestant with the highest score - fell into a rare situation.

Both Nguyen Ngoc Huy (Tuy Phuoc High School No. 3, Binh Dinh) and Vuong Trung Hieu (Le Quy Don High School for the Gifted, Khanh Hoa) scored 220 points, equal to the second place score of week 1 of the same month. This forced the organizing committee to come up with an unprecedented solution: a supplementary exam to choose who would move on.

Not only was it dramatic because the two contestants were evenly matched, but the situation became even more tense when the absolute scores were equal, and it was impossible to determine the winner based on knowledge. To ensure fairness, both had to play rock-paper-scissors to choose who would be allowed to draw lots first. All of this took place under the witness of the audience and the judges, in a suffocatingly suspenseful atmosphere.

The decisive moment came when Ngoc Huy was lucky enough to draw the "golden" ticket, becoming Duc Huy's companion in the February 3rd quarter competition. The audience exploded with emotions, applause rang out, both congratulating and regretting Trung Hieu - who had to stop regretfully after an excellent performance.

This is considered one of the rarest situations in Olympia history, when intelligence has to give way to luck to determine the outcome. However, it is this surprise that creates the uniqueness of the program - where not only knowledge, but also courage, psychology and sometimes luck all contribute to deciding the journey of the contestants.

In fact, having set foot on the Olympia stage, the contestants are all "experts" in studying, possessing a wide range of knowledge and quick reflexes. It is completely understandable that two contestants achieved the same score to the point where it is impossible to clearly determine who is better. But it is precisely these moments of relying on luck that make the audience appreciate the efforts and talents of the young people even more.

Looking back at the 25-year journey of The Road to Olympia, moments like these have contributed to the special appeal of the program. The audience not only followed the tricky questions, the dramatic score chases, but also remembered the emotional "slices" - where smiles mixed with tears, where the joy of victory went hand in hand with regret.

Where did the Road to Olympia originate, the mystery of the shocking name? Linh Trần09:12:37 08/09/2025In fact, many people mistakenly think that the name of the Road to Olympia program originated from a climbing competition. However, journalist Ta Bich Loan said that it is not completely understood in this sense.