In an impressive display of speed and concentration, eight‑year‑old Josip Kosmat from Vinkovci has become the national champion of the Aloha mental‑arithmetic competition. The event, held in Samobor, brought together more than 120 children from a dozen Croatian towns, and Josip’s achievement marks the first time in ten years that a participant outside Zagreb has claimed the overall top award.
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From Local Schoolboy to National Champion
Josip, a second‑grade student at the Os. Antun Gustav Matoš elementary school, has been practicing mental calculation for three years. According to his family, he began performing sums with two‑ and three‑digit numbers when he was just four. “I have always been fascinated by numbers,” his mother, Kristina, says, adding that synching mental arithmetic with a love of astronomy has been a constant theme in their household. Together with his father, Luka, he even created a picture book titled Svemir od A do Z two years ago.
During the final round, asking only five minutes, he solved 62 problems, a feat that not only outclassed his peers but also set a new benchmark for the competition. In every year of his participation, Josip has secured a podium finish in his age group. “I am overjoyed, but also extremely proud that my dedication has earned me the overall title this year,” he told reporters. His confidence is buoyed by the rigorous training regimen and his coach, Marija Adriana, who tailors sessions to sharpen speed and accuracy.
International Road Ahead: Panama 2026
Victory at the national level has earned Josip a berth at the upcoming world championship scheduled for July in Panama City. Here, he will compete alongside children from countries with strong math traditions such as China and Russia, and other European nations. The Panamanian meet will not only test his abilities against a broader field but also offer a chance to gain international exposure.
“I look forward to working with competitors from around the globe,” Josip said. He added that the experience will help him understand different problem‑solving styles and strategies, which he hopes to incorporate into his own practice.
Family and Community Support
Josip’s success is a collective celebration. He is the youngest of five, with older brothers Jakob and Mihael eagerly cheering him on. His parents credit the early encouragement from siblings and teachers as key, noting how redundancy and repetition sparked his passion for numbers. Their support extends beyond the maths table; when the family announced the opportunity to travel to Panama, they all celebrated together.
Dr. sc. Branka Novosel, founder of the Open School Littera, highlighted how Aloha has been running in Croatia for a decade. “Today, we celebrate ten years of nurturing children’s mental agility through systematic training in not only mathematics but also critical thinking, mindfulness, and self‑confidence,” she remarked. The 10‑year milestone underscores how the program has evolved beyond basic arithmetic to foster broader cognitive and personal growth.
The Aloha Program: Skills for the Future
Aloha focuses on fast mental calculations, but its true value lies in the skills it imparts. According to Dr. Novosel, participants develop focus, internal learning processes, adaptability, and self‑belief—qualities that are essential amid uncertain future trajectories. “By engaging in mental arithmetic, children sharpen their memory, concentration, and perseverance, which translate into academic success across disciplines,” she explained.
The competition doesn’t just reward speed; it also evaluates consistency and resilience. Coaches like Marija Adriana emphasize real‑time problem‑solving under timed conditions, which mirrors the high‑pressure demands of modern learning environments.
What Is Aloha?
Founded internationally, Aloha is a timed mental‑arithmetic game involving arithmetic operations—addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division—performed entirely in the mind. Participants receive a set of numbers and have to produce as many correct answers as possible within a fixed time limit, usually 5 to 10 minutes depending on the level. The competition is divided into age groups, ensuring that children compete against peers of similar developmental stages.
How to Get Started?
Parents interested in Aloha can enroll their children through local schools or the Open School Littera network. Training typically includes daily rounds of timed practice, mental visualization drills, and strategic thinking exercises. Children who consistently perform well advance to regional and eventually national tournaments, where further training intensifies.
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